Familiar Strangers
by R.G. Waffles
Summary: The devastating aftereffects of an ambush finds Naruto struggling to survive with the company of a very broken, very blind, but very pleasant Uchiha Itachi.
1. Of Haircuts and Incognitos

**Author's Note:** It's been a while. Some of you readers will be old fans I'm hoping to impress (hey there!) and some of you are new readers (enjoy the ride!). I've tried my hand at this story before but quickly took it down because I couldn't see myself continuing to write. After a lot of revision and a renewed enthusiasm for the fandom, here's my second crack at it. It does start off a little slow but I'm hoping you all look forward to seeing the relationship between Itachi and Naruto develop just as I enjoyed their brief relationship in the anime.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

… **:::Of Haircuts and Incognitos:::…**

* * *

"We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken." - Fydor Dostoevsky

* * *

The first time Itachi woke up, he almost panicked.

Almost.

He would have, if not for the haze that drifted through his mind like morning fog. So he just sat there without the slightest clue where he was and _felt_ like he should panic, but could not quite bring himself to do so. To do anything, actually. He lost consciousness some time in his search through the fog of his mind.

The second time he woke up was different. There was an incessant ringing in his ears, pressure pressing against them, _rrrrrrrrng rrrrrrrrng_. It felt like he was underwater, submerged and drowning in thin air. Suspended. Someone in the distance was sniffling.

And his eyes were open, but he couldn't _see_.

He would never admit he was beginning to panic, beginning to realize that he was blinking and that nothing was coming into his vision, not even the blurs he had been growing accustomed to. Panic: a sensation he had little to no experience with. There was a liquid pooling into his tear ducts that was not the warmth of tears but the warmth of something much thicker, something that he could smell and that, coupled with intense agony, disturbed him.

 _". . . name?"_

When had someone begun to speak? His name? He could not think about his name, not at a time like that. Not when his chest was on fire, when his legs redefined pain and his arms redefined their redefinition, and when there was an unnatural breeze on his head. Why could he feel the wind on his head?

There was something wrong. He was not supposed to feel the wind – oh no, _oh no_ , his hair. His hair. Where was his hair? His hair. His identity. It was gone, gone, gone.

He felt different. Pain like he had never felt before, everywhere. Everywhere.

He would never admit that he was scared.

* * *

Naruto was lost.

From the very first minute he had awoken, he had been lost. The stone walls were unfamiliar to him. The dirtied and torn _tatami_ mats that covered the earthen floor were rough against his naked body. With no recollection of how he had even gotten there, he had attempted to scrunch up tightly, only to uncurl his limbs when his stomach protested with pain.

He was lost but not alone. The lighting that had appeared from some makeshift ventilation system up, up out of his reach glinted off the rusted metal bars that separated his cell from another. It took several hours for the light to intensify (he guessed it was the sun coming up) to reveal a bundle on the floor in the other room. An unmoving bundle.

He narrowed his eyes at it in suspicion. Another human? Or an animal. Perhaps it was neither – some sort of experimental mutation. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure what it was and so his curiosity peaked to new heights and he found himself standing up again to move as close as he could to whatever it was.

A head.

A human head, he found after a moment of squinting and staring and rubbing his eyes from the dried tears. It was the back of a very pale human head from what appeared to be someone who had been thrown haphazardly into the cell and not bothered to move again, the dark hair of the head shaven very closely to the skull. His heart flipped oddly. Maybe this person could give him answers. Maybe he would wake up and he would stop feeling so lost and alone.

"Hey," he called to the person. His voice would not budge beyond a whisper; when was the last time he had had anything to drink? "Hey!"

But there was no reply. His hands gripped the bars that separated them tighter; a bit of rust on the bars rubbed off and tinkled to the floor. Desperation kicked in. He wanted – _needed –_ the man to wake up and tell him _just where the hell he was._

"Please, you've got to wake up."

Silence.

His heart began to beat faster. There was something so very wrong with the image of the shaven head, something so very disturbing in the way it did not move, and he finally noticed the glint of crimson liquid when he turned his head slightly. _Vroom vroom_ went his racing heart rate, went his speeding thoughts, as his hands tried to extend to the body but they were _too short_ and _was he dead?!_

"Please, no, no, no," he chanted in a whisper as the light revealed the head that was attached to a very pale, very naked, very beaten and bloodied body.

Like him. Naked and beaten, but he was not quite as bloody.

He did not notice the headband at the stranger's waist.

"Come on, come on," he willed the unmoving head quietly, but even it was unrecognizable through a curtain of blood and the amount of swelling. Not that he possibly could have recognized anyone anyway. One eye of the head was swelled shut in a rosy balloon of black and blue, a crust of pus sealing the eyelid like sickly cement. The other eye was swollen with bruises, but not to the same extent, so that he could see just a sliver of blank black pupil. It was moving.

"Hey, hey!" he sat up straighter at the movement, suddenly hopeful. "That's it! Open your eyes!"

But there was no other response.

"Hey," he pleaded in a whisper. "You've got to wake up."

He could just see the unnatural placement of the jaw, could see the fresh drool that had made a trail of glistening saliva all the way down to the stranger's collarbone; it was mixed with the blood from where one of his lower canine teeth was visibly missing. The swollen face acted like hills, pooling the lake of blood that came from several cuts into unusual creases and wrinkles so that he had to look at the flat chest and exposed testicles to realize it was, in fact, a man he was staring at.

 _Oh no, oh no, ohnoohnoohno was he going to end up like_ him _?_

And then he saw it.

A headband.

It lay tauntingly just out of his reach, viciously scratched. The etching of the odd spiral was barely visible through the amount of scratches that littered its surface. His stomach flipped oddly and he felt the sudden urge to vomit. He could not recognize the symbol but it looked _just like his_. Just like the one he had found by his hand when he had woken up – a loose spiral, but his had no scratches. Had he not put up a fight when he was captured?

When the stranger was obviously not about to wake up any time soon, he gave up. Something inside of him pulled at his gut. Perhaps he was not supposed to be used to giving up, but then again, he was not used to himself. He had no idea who he was before waking up in his cell or who he was supposed to be.

Naruto fell asleep not moments later.

* * *

Third time's the charm.

Itachi opened his eyes to darkness and quickly assessed the situation with as much skill as he had been trained to do. Unlike his training, however, he was forced to count out one of his senses because he was blind. Blind, blind, blind, blind – he tried not to think about it because he could already feel his chest heaving in another panic attack.

He attempted to move his body slightly to find that he couldn't feel his body to begin with. It disturbed him. With his nose, he could smell the pungent odor of the cell wherever he was: a cornucopia of aromas, none of them sweet and pleasant to inhale. He could have smelled the stench of blood in the room from a mile away. Granted, it was close and, he would later feel, it was _on_ him when it should have been _in_ him. There was also sweat. Piss, he found faintly, which suggested to him that there was either someone else with him, or the room he was in had been used before. Or both.

Blood, sweat, piss, and other oddities. From his first sense, he could distinguish nothing of his location.

Taste was simple: blood. Perhaps – he moved his tongue around heavily in his mouth – he could taste some foreign substance, some odd concoction he could not place. Tangy and bitter like chewing on the floury plastic of a medical glove. He found that he was missing a back tooth and in its place was but a gap in his gums and a mouthful of blood.

Blood and some foreign taste. No doubt, he had been drugged.

The most prominent noise he could hear was sniffling. Strangled cries. A male's voice, he could tell, definitely young. He tried his best to turn his head in the direction of the noise. There was a twinge to his neck. Pain shot up his spine. He tried to call out to the voice – _who are you?!_ – but his consciousness was fading fast.

And suddenly, he was out.

* * *

"You."

Naruto turned around. It had been a day since he had regained consciousness. There had been no other sign of life in the cell wherever he was, so naturally, when he heard the stranger speak, he wiped at stray tears and whipped his head around.

For a second, his heart stopped. It did not race, _vroom vroom_ , but paused in its life pumping, because he had thought the stranger had recognized him, had somehow seen him through closed eyes and would suddenly answer all his questions. But after a moment's rationality, he realized the "You" was actually the end of a question, which had most likely started with "Who are".

". . . you?" it came again.

The bruised Adam's apple bobbed again in preparation for speech, yet nothing came out but the scratch of an exhale. The body attempted to raise itself to no avail and it fell back, limp and practically lifeless. Again, the Adam's apple bobbed as the stranger swallowed.

The face turned to him ever-so-slowly and ever-so-slightly and the swollen eyes opened in slivers, then wider, wider, and he saw them snap shut with a cringe from the man before they opened again. The stranger's chest began to heave faintly. His throaty exhales became pants and he gasped. Naruto watched as the stranger moved at what seemed an agonizing pace, watched him slide a hand up to his eyes, saw his injured jaw slack and his eyebrows shoot up in – distress?

And suddenly, the stranger was staring right at him.

". . . you?"

Naruto's heart stopped again.

That man was clearly staring _right at him_ through barely opened eyelids. But he squinted and realized blank eyes were not often a characteristic of seeing, and that the stranger was not staring right at him, but his barely visible pupils wavered from side-to-side in search of something to settle upon.

He could not help the gasp that escaped his lips.

The stranger was blind.

V _room vroom._

". . . _are_ you?"

The voice was more prominent this time, more forceful, and he saw the stranger's jaw twitch at a painful attempt to grit his teeth. But _ohnoohnoohno_ Naruto didn't _know_ , he hadn't _known_ who he was since he woke up in the current hell of a cell and he could feel his throat constricting for a moment and he couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe –

"I don't know," he rasped out in his panic. His eyes were tearing up. "I don't _know_ , jeez, I woke up and I can't – I can't remember anything . . ." His hands were shaking violently. "I was just here and I don't even know my _name_ , who doesn't know their _name_ , and I'm naked and there's this _thing_ on my stomach, and these numbers on my arm – is that my name? 2516? Is that my name?! A number?!"

He could tell the stranger regretted asking for his name but he wanted answers, damn it! He wanted to know why he had woken up with no memory of anything, with the skin of his stomach mangled and mixed with black symbols, with his shaven head stitched, and with some random blind stranger on his deathbed next to him.

He looked over to the stranger and let out a strangled growl of frustration when he realized he had fallen unconscious.

Hours later, he heard the stranger rousing again. And again, he repeated his panicked contemplation of his name (because he had been contemplating it hours before and was still contemplating it hours later). The stranger tried to lift himself to no avail, but he attempted to say something.

"Calm . . . down . . ."

He was unconscious after the second syllable.

He really felt like he was dying. Hungry and thirsty, bleeding, naked, cold, sore, unable to remember anything – he felt like death would be a welcoming to his reality. No one had bothered to come and check up on them. How long had it actually been? Hours? Days? _Months?_ Not months, he thought. He would surely have been dead.

He wanted the stranger to wake up and keep him company. But most of all, he wanted _a name._ When he saw the stranger returning to consciousness some time later (he lost track, but the light was no longer shining through the makeshift ventilation system), he spoke.

"At least move a little closer," he tried to say despite his parched throat. "You'll die of blood loss."

 _Shshshshsh_ the stranger wriggled ever-so-slightly, skin rubbing against the _tatami_ mats, leaving a stain of blood in his wake. He managed to move barely within arm's reach of the other cell before pain overtook his body and he was out again.

At least, Naruto thought, he could bring the stranger closer. He reached his unbroken arm through the bars in an attempt to grab onto the stranger's shoulder. The appendage flopped about in a way that shoulders shouldn't, and it took a while for him to realize it was dislocated.

Frowning, he tried for a leg – the one _not_ at an odd angle. It was pale, the feeling of the black leg hairs odd against his hand as he managed to pull it and the body closer to the bars of his cell.

"You'll be okay," he found himself whispering, heart suddenly at ease remembering he was supposedly one of his own, if that was what the odd symbol on their matching headbands indicated. "Can you hear me?"

Silence.

He cradled the stranger's head in his hands until the sun shone through the vents again. It was all he could do to keep himself from going insane. All he could do to remember that, despite no memories and despite no name, he existed.

"My name."

The stranger spoke.

"What?"

". . . my name?"

 _Vroom vroom._ "I can't remember anything."

The stranger seemed to contemplate something momentarily before he inhaled deeply and said, "Murakami Ryo."

"Murakami," he replied, respecting the stranger with his last name. "I . . . I don't know mine. I don't . . ."

". . . Ken."

". . . What?"

"Ken."

"That's . . . that's my name?"

The stranger's lips twitched but remained lax. "No. But . . . panicking . . . Ken, now."

His words were uttered farther apart. He recognized it as a sign that he was going to fall unconscious soon. So he gathered the stranger – no, no longer _the stranger_ but rather ' _Murakami Ryo'_ – in his arms as best he could and said, "Ken. My name is Ken."

'Murakami' did not hear.

* * *

'Ken' woke up to find that he had fallen asleep against the rusted bars, 'Murakami's head still cradled in his hands and light filtering in through the ventilation. He sat up straighter with a painful crick in his back. It felt awkward, having the head of a naked man in his hands when he was equally naked himself. A part of him was thankful 'Murakami' was blind.

The other part wondered if he would end up like that, and his bloody stomach tightened at the thought.

He set 'Murakami's head down gently to look at his stomach again. It had been scratched and gnawed at, it seemed, caked in dry blood. There was an odd tattoo around his navel. He presumed it had once been a perfect circle surrounded in kanji. The circle was far from perfect at that point, and some of the kanji symbols had disappeared where his skin had been peeled off. When he had first woken up, he had thrown up at the sight.

Now . . . now it was a normality. A painful normality.

His eyes averted to assess the swelling of 'Murakami's face. It had only come down the slightest, still leaving his eyes swollen and forced shut. A breath suddenly rattled 'Murakami's chest and 'Ken' took the opportunity to speak.

"Are you waking up?" The words were getting harder to form. His tongue getting harder to lift. "Come on."

The man's lips moved to form words, but 'Ken' could not hear them. He leaned in closer, feeling the puff of air but hearing no sound.

"Hey, come on. You can do it."

But the lips stopped moving and the breathing evened out, and 'Ken' was defeated once again.

'Murakami' did not attempt another break into consciousness until an hour later, when 'Ken' was staring around and realizing there were no doors to the room. Just two cells with bars betwixt. A violent sneeze rattled 'Murakami's body terribly before he fell into unconsciousness once more.

Another hour later, 'Ken' was on his back, waiting for death to come. He sent a glance in 'Murakami's direction briefly. The eye that had had the lesser amount of swelling had opened to more than simply a sliver, staring unblinkingly and blankly at the roof of the room. The other eye had opened as well, and it was flashing. And what it was flashing was what made 'Ken' feel his stomach flop oddly in vague recognition. Because 'Ken', although he did not know it, was staring at the flash of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Because naked, bruised, bloodied, shaven 'Ken' was Uzumaki Naruto.

And naked, bruised, bloodied, shaven, blind 'Murakami Ryo' was Uchiha Itachi.

* * *

A lot of confusion ensued much later.

Itachi did not wake up again since Naruto had been conscious. The once-blond boy fell in and out of sleep, in and out of malnutrition-induced consciousness several times in what he assumed were days past.

One frightening hour, he woke up on a flat, metal table that was not the itchy familiarity of _tatami_ mats, beneath a light that was too bright and _there were fingers in his stomach._

Fingers.

In his stomach.

He could not remember if he screamed. All he could feel was pain, pain, pain – _fingers in his stomach –_ before he was out like the light that flickered from the ceiling.

 _Bam!_

Awake.

Except this time he was in a hallway that stretched farther than he could see, illuminated by torches bolted to the stone walls. He felt oddly better. His stomach tingled, but his muscles no longer ached and the crick in his wrist was gone. He realized in the confused haze of his mind that he felt better than he ever had in days. Aching muscles replaced what he had thought to be broken bones. Bruises replaced welts. He felt his strength, although dimmed by malnutrition, dormant in his muscles.

Had he been out for days? Weeks?

No, he decided when he looked down at his hands from where he was crouched low to the earthen ground. Something had happened. Something supernatural. After all, why were his fingernails broken and bloodied?

Blood.

There was a lot of that.

It was all over his naked body, covering his thighs and his abdomen, smeared on his throat. He panicked for a moment as his shaking fingers wiped through the curtain of blood on his stomach before he realized with a wrench of his gut that it was not _his_ blood. It was definitely someone else's.

And that only frightened him more.

He hadn't the slightest clue what had happened, or what was going on. Or where 'Murakami' was. Or his cell. Or where _he_ was, for that matter. It seemed his heart never ceased to beat so fast ( _vroom vroom_ ). He was constantly shaking, constantly cold, constantly confused. With a slight limp to his walk, he staggered and bumped his way through the stone hallway in search of any other sign of life.

But there was nothing.

It was simply a long stretch of a hallway with no doors or windows. They were almost definitely underground, he deduced as the hallway only seemed to carry on and on like a poor design for a cave. His body left bloodied footprints with every step he took, the blood that was not his dripping off of him in slow, sickly droplets.

The first cell he came upon was empty. He vaguely wondered if he would ever be able to find his cell again because from what he could remember, it had not had any doors or windows. Simply two conjoined rooms, divided by rusted iron bars.

The second cell held Itachi.

Naruto's breathing was a permanent border on hyperventilation by that time. The hallway stretched and stretched and he walked and walked and finally, finally, he found his 'Murakami'. There were bloody footprints leading away from the cell and vanishing suddenly, as if the person who had left them evaporated into thin air, and the keys to the small cell were sitting patiently in the lock of the iron gate.

Yes, thought Naruto. Something had definitely happened.

He twisted the keys in the lock without question and swung open the gate haphazardly so he could reach the man stretched out on a metal table just like he had been. He called his name – once, twice, thrice. Nothing. Itachi's face looked exactly as swollen as it had been when Naruto last remembered. Had it only been hours? A day?

They had to get out of there.

"Come on, come on," he said aloud, his tongue still heavy in his mouth. He slipped one of Itachi's arms – the one that was not at an odd angle – around his shoulders. The positioning was odd and Naruto slipped and buckled as he attempted to drag the man off of the table, the blood on his own body providing no friction for Itachi's naked body to rest against. He struggled.

"Please, please, you can't die," he found himself pleading as he finally slipped the man from the slab of metal and began dragging his body across the floor. "You have to help me. You have to tell me what's going on. You have to help me remember. Please, please, you can't die."

There was something almost eerily ominous about 'Murakami', Naruto thought. Something silently frightening about the way his dislocated jaw hung open, about the way a sliver of his eye was visible, about the way his head was shaven. Something that made Naruto suddenly shiver as his veins rippled from the weight of the figure.

He stopped _._

 _Vroom vroom._

There was a dead

man

on the floor.

And _ohnoohnoohno_ had he killed this man? Had he taken his life, caved his head in like that? Naruto would have vomited at the sight of the way the head had been mangled and the eyes gouged out, but there was nothing left in his stomach to regurgitate but acid. He felt it burn his esophagus as it crawled up his throat and he spat, his body wanting to leave the corpse on the ground. His mind, on the other hand, looked at the loose pants and long-sleeved shirt the man wore and told him to _steal it. Take it. He won't need them anymore._

He hated being naked.

So he set Itachi down and (eyes closed) pulled the pants off of the man by the legs, stripped the body of the shirt by stretching it and pulling it down instead of up over the (mangled, bloodied) head of the man. In a matter of seconds he was dressed in pants too big and a shirt too wide, but he had clothing and that was all he cared about.

He sent a brief glance to Itachi's naked body and lamented. Briefly.

He took Itachi's arm and he ran, ran, ran.

His stomach hurt not moments later. _Flick._ Lights out. His consciousness was like a television and he had lost its remote to someone else.

 _Flick_. Lights on.

He was outside somewhere. There were trees and grass and shrubs and – Naruto realized with relief – a river. He was on his back. A coppery tang filled his mouth. He sat up and stared around.

There was blood on his lips.

It was on his lips, his tongue, his teeth, his chin, his chest, like poorly applied cherry red lipstick. A furry white foot lay by his bloodied hand. It was not attached to a body. What he assumed was the body of a rabbit was rather by the riverside, no longer round like it should have been but instead looking like some hungry and desperate carnivore had gnawed at it.

He put two and two together and vomited.

Had he just –?

Did he eat –?

 _Vroom vroom_ went his heart and his thoughts and he was crawling up to the river so he could dunk his entire head into it, to wipe away the evidence of what he thought he had done, to gulp the fresh water to eliminate the taste and to save him from dehydration. Perhaps, he vaguely wondered, he did _not_ want his memory to return. What had he been? What kind of person (animal?) was he?

Or rather, what had been _done_ to him?

'Murakami'. Where was his 'Murakami'? He pulled his head from the river with a gasp to fill his lungs and stared around wildly. Itachi was stretched out on the ground beneath the shade of a tree, unmoving and unconscious. Naruto dragged his body further along the banks of the river before he attempted to rouse the man in desperation.

Worry stabbed at his heart; he was unsure of the full extent of damage to Itachi, unsure of how long he had left to live, and now that he had found him, he did not want him to die. He needed company, someone to tell him he was not insane, someone to tell him it was going to be all right. He tenderly laid the man's body by the bank of the river, as close to the water as he could possibly move him, and tried to get into a comfortable position.

Itachi was stirring again. Naruto crossed his legs as close to the calm waters as he could and slowly pulled the shaven head into his lap.

"Damn, you've lost a lot of blood," he whispered and was surprised to find his voice returned. The river had quenched his thirst and – he shivered – he was oddly no longer hungry.

He instinctively reached into the water with one cupped hand to dip it into the river before bringing it back up to rain on the man's face. "At least you're breathing." Itachi stirred again, breathing harshly from his nose. "Hey, hey, don't move too much."

The man's visible eye flickered briefly, attempting to blink, before it rolled to the back of his head.

"No, no, stay with me," Naruto pleaded, quickly splashing more water onto his face. Blood fell in pinkish streaks through the creases made by the swelling. Itachi had been pulled back into the depths of unconsciousness. Naruto sighed a sigh that made his stomach twinge.

They would need food, he thought as he looked around. And clothing. And shelter. He grew angry. It was like he had just been born: naked, confused, and helpless. Like he was starting his life from scratch again.

It began to become insufficient to simply pour the water on his body and so Naruto bit the right sleeve of his (not his) shirt to tear off a part of it. He dipped it into the river and sponged the crusting blood from the bruised porcelain. What better could he have done? He did not know his name, his age, his location. All he had was 'Murakami'. And he was going to make sure he kept the only thing he had.

"You look pretty young."

No longer alone, Naruto had someone to speak to and he had to speak to distract himself from the tragedy in his lap and the tragedy around him. He sat in the noisy forest, surrounded by the flow of the river, the caw of the birds, and the rustle of the leaves, speaking to Itachi as he sponged and stemmed blood from the stranger.

"I bet you've got a family worried sick about you."

Naruto wondered if he had his own family worried sick about _him._ Were they out looking for him? He imagined his mother, crying for him to return. He imagined his father, gathering up a group of friends and trekking through the forest to search for him. He even imagined a little brother who he probably hated but loved.

His eyes were tearing up again.

The removal of blood seemed to do little to make Itachi look any better. Parts of his skin were lacerated or shredded, others bruised in a vibrant array of colors. Naruto dipped his shirt back into the river and wrung the water from it before placing it onto Itachi's face.

"I'm sorry I can't do much to help," he whispered so he would not think _this could have happened to me._ Naruto pressed the sodden shirt against Itachi's eyes. Itachi gasped quietly in the noise of the forest.

"Please, please live," he whispered as he wiped the trail of saliva away and prodded the dislocated jaw. "I need . . . I don't know what I need, but I just . . ."

He sat there, even as his legs numbed, Itachi pulled into his lap and the gentle rush of the river soothing him, hoping for the man to pull through so he could figure things out. The sun was still harsh overhead. Naruto decided his best option was to attempt to find some sort of shelter until the man regained consciousness.

He set Itachi down, walked a little here, walked a little there. There was a particularly large tree not too far down the river if the sun became too harsh, but other than that, nothing. No convenient berry tree, no freshwater fish, no more rabbits or signs of wildlife but the birds above.

With nothing, Naruto sat down next to Itachi's body, knelt forward so that his forehead touched the grass, and wanted to cry.

* * *

It had been hours and still Itachi did not awaken.

Naruto did not grow worried. As long as he could hear the breathing of the man, he was content. As long as he was far, far away from wherever they had been, he was happy. He busied himself with gathering water in large wax leaves from the freshwater river for drinking; it was not the cleanest water, but it would do. He would return to Itachi's body, hold the man's head in one arm, and help him drink the water with his other.

Still, Itachi did not stir.

Night was drawing nearer and the temperature was beginning to drop. Naruto looked at the man's naked body and lamented. He ended up shedding his own shirt in favor of covering the man, since he already had pants. To make matters worse, Itachi was coming down with a fever, meaning there was definitely an infection to one of his wounds. Naruto did his best to keep his sodden shirt soaked with water and over the man's swollen face in hopes the fever would break.

"Please get better," he pleaded quietly from time to time. "Please, please don't die."

Night had officially painted the sky black. Naruto had attempted to set up a small fire. To his surprise, he could. He could remember the types of stone for flint, could remember dry leaves and not waxy ones, could remember the way his muscles twitched when he wanted clap the stones together to create sparks.

He could not remember his name, but he was thankful he could remember how to keep himself warm.

Still, Itachi did not stir.

Naruto could no longer find anything to busy himself with. He had made makeshift splints for the man's left arm and right leg, had ripped another strip from his sleeves to tie around Itachi's head to support the dislocated jaw, and had nothing left to tend to but his growling stomach. Not wanting a repeat of what he had woken up to, he tried to ignore his stomach as best he could.

Itachi stirred seconds before Naruto was about to fall asleep.

Naruto could hear it in the way he moaned quietly from the back of his throat, could see it in the way his bare fingers twitched. He tried to egg him on, saying, "Hey, come on, you can do it." Itachi's eyelids were flickering. He was definitely conscious.

The only thing coming out of his mouth, however, was a throaty exhale. His left eye, the one with the lesser bruising, opened wider to stare blankly at nothing in particular. He exhaled roughly again as if attempting to say something; Naruto saw blood fleck his lips.

 _Water_ , he thought before he stood up to run to the river with a waxy leaf, bringing it back filled with the liquid.

"Here," he whispered as he raised Itachi's head with his arm and began pouring the water down his throat.

Sapphire eyes fixed upon the slow bob of a bruised Adam's apple as Itachi attempted to down the water. Most of it came back up his throat, bubbling in his barely open mouth like a pinkish geyser before spilling over his lips and falling past his chin. He spluttered and choked and Naruto was forced to turn him – gently, gently – on his side so he did not drown in his own saliva.

Itachi was beginning to attempt to speak once more, the hand that was not in a sling reaching for his hip and groping for something that was not there. A weapon, Naruto was sure. He was looking for a weapon. Naruto frowned. Even on the verge of death, this man would fight? Who was he?

"Hey. Don't worry. I'm just trying to help."

The moving hand became more desperate for the imaginary weapon when it did not find it at the waist. Naruto's frown deepened and he placed his own hand upon Itachi's.

"There's nothing there. Just get some rest. I need to talk to you."

The bruised Adam's apple bobbed again in preparation for speech and still nothing came out but the scratch of an exhale. Another bob. And another. Naruto decided he would remind the man.

"It's me," he said. "Ken. Remember? You gave me that name. Your name is Murakami Ryo."

Itachi's head moved ever-so-slightly from where it rested, propped up by leaves. His blank eyes rested on a tree; he had not given any indication that he remembered. Instead, his bound dislocated jaw hung open again, and he was silent for a while.

Minutes later, when there appeared to be no more movement, Naruto realized he had fallen back into unconsciousness.

Naruto stayed like that for several hours, simply sitting and watching over Itachi. When he grew tired, he leaned down to rest his head, a part of him frightened he might wake up again devouring another animal's body.

Itachi woke up several times, each time more sporadic than the next. And each time, he asked one more thing of Naruto, with an increasingly firm voice. It annoyed Naruto somewhat. _He_ was the one who wanted to ask the questions, not the other way around, but he complied. For his sake.

"Where am I?" Itachi whispered faintly the second time he returned to consciousness. The words were slurred. He could not open his mouth properly with his dislocated jaw.

Naruto almost burst into tears. " _I_ want to know that, damn it!" he exclaimed, pounding the grass roughly with a fist. Minutes later, when Itachi was unconscious, he regretted the action. He had not meant to scream so loudly. He hadn't meant to curse, either. Honestly, he was unsure where the outburst had come from.

Some time later – Naruto did not know when, but the sun was beating fiercely in the center of the sky – Itachi attempted to get up, felt the pain flare in his chest, and fell defeated once more. "Did you . . .?" came another faint whisper, another faint slur.

Naruto was unsure if he was asking if he was the one who put him in the near-death state, or if he was the one who helped him heal. So he decided to clarify himself with, "I don't know how, but we escaped that place, wherever it was. And please, I would really appreciate it if you could tell me what you can remember." He tried not to sound too hopeful.

Silence. Itachi was out again.

When Itachi woke up again, Naruto was asleep.

Naruto was awake for Itachi's longest burst into consciousness. The sun was up. The boy was hungry, sore, and shivering. He yearned for any other sign of life and for the truth. Itachi seemed to stay further in consciousness that time and even attempted to sit up again – to yet another futile attempt. He coughed once, twice, his lips suddenly coated in cherry red lipstick.

"Leave," was whispered through a bleeding mouth. All attempts at anger and menace failed.

Naruto grew angry. "You have _got_ to be _kidding_ me!" he almost yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Itachi (and then taking it away, because he could see the numbers that had been tattooed onto his arm that reminded him of the cells). "I just saved you from wherever the hell we were and tried healing you and all you tell me is _leave_?!"

". . . Why?"

For a second, Naruto thought he was asking why he was angry. Changing his thoughts, he said, "I needed someone to tell me what's going on. I woke up and I don't remember anything so please, please, if you remember something, tell me!"

He growled in frustration when Itachi did not answer because he was no longer conscious.

Night had fallen once more and Naruto prepared another fire. The second the sun lit the sky, he would leave. He would trek as far as he needed to in order to reach any form of civilization, Itachi dragging behind him. For now, however, he would have to survive through the cold of the night without the slightest bit of food, and that was what worried him. It was far too dark to catch fish from the river – if there was any to begin with – and he was not sure how much longer he could survive.

He was still debating whether or not he actually wanted to survive in the first place.

He sat, mood officially dampened by the gurgling acid in his stomach.

"Ken?"

The voice was quiet but the forest was quieter. Naruto's head perked up and recognized the hoarse whisper. He crawled closer to where Itachi was laid out to find the man conscious again, and something inside of him reeled in shock at the fact that Itachi was actually looking for him.

"I'm here."

But Itachi did not speak for several minutes and Naruto wondered if he had simply been looking to see if he had left or not. Probably planning to escape soon. Or contemplating whether or not he could trust Naruto. It appeared to be the latter, because Itachi's blood-crusted mouth soon opened again, barely parted.

"I cannot see."

Naruto turned to him with a glimmer of hope in his sapphire eyes. "So someone blinded you?" he asked softly. He squinted through the darkness as he recalled the scabbed line running across one eye and wondered what had happened to the other. "Your face is pretty swollen."

"I must go."

Once again, he attempted to stand. Once again, he found himself on the floor.

"You'd be thankful to even walk in a week, Murakami. Please. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know how I ended up there."

Itachi was already unconscious.

It wasn't until Naruto was falling in and out of sleep did Itachi speak again. Naruto was tired of thinking, tired of knowing he was someone else but not being able to remember. And he was hungry. Very hungry.

"Ken?"

Sigh. "Still here."

Silence. Then, "You cannot remember anything at all?"

Naruto had to lean closer to hear him. His heart jumped to his throat.

"No, _God_ , Murakami, I can't even remember my _name_ or where I'm _from_ . . ." He stopped himself. He could feel another panic attack coming on.

". . . How do I know I can trust you?"

The question startled Naruto somewhat. It was an honest question – no malice, no threats. Naruto frowned. He had never thought about it. He had just expected 'Murakami' to help him. As a favor. He had saved him, hadn't he? He wondered what feeling was suddenly fizzing in his stomach, because he knew what Itachi must have felt in his position.

 _I'm forced to trust you. How do I know you won't kill me? Stab me in the back? I have no choice; let me know I'm making the right one._

Naruto sighed and sat more comfortably, a little closer to Itachi so he could suck in some body warmth. "I guess you can't know," he said in a simple whisper. "You never know who you can trust." He wanted to curl up again. "But if you want to judge me, I helped you, and I'm still here. You're hurt, you're blind, and you have nothing on you, but I'm just the same. If you're going to judge me, base your judgment off of that."

Although he was conscious, Itachi was silent for the rest of the night.

* * *

Naruto woke up with the grumble of his stomach.

He could have cried then and there, really – in a hypothetical sort of way, because he decided he would stop crying. He had not had the urge since he had released the last of what he had presumed were drugs from his body in a stream of piss. He quickly splashed his face with water from the river and peeked around a few shrubs where he had hidden Itachi's body from the sun.

The swelling of Itachi's face had gone down considerably so that it was no longer puffed like a balloon but rather like a puff pastry, more rounded than usual and a collage of colorful bruising, but not as grotesque as it had been the first time Naruto had seen him. Both of his eyes were open more than slight slivers; both, Naruto saw, were bloodshot and unfocused, one more dilated than the other.

"Ken?" came the slurred question.

Naruto's stomach flopped.

"Good morning."

"I must say, I do not trust you."

"I would be surprised if you did."

"But I am in your debt. And I am as confused as you are."

"I thought you said you didn't trust me."

"I have nothing more to lose."

 _Thud_. Naruto's heart fell to his stomach at the words. Nothing more to lose. Who was this man? What life had he led, to have nothing more to lose? No family? No home? Was he just a wanderer, alone with no one to care for him? He wondered if that was all that Itachi did: wander alone.

He put a hand on Itachi's uninjured shoulder. "You don't remember anything?"

Itachi grimaced as best he could. "I was being experimented on," was all he offered, was all he was going to offer for the moment, and Naruto understood he was a man of few words. He inwardly sighed. Extracting information – no matter how desperate he was – was going to be a delicate process with his man.

"Well then," he said instead, "as soon as you can stand, we'll go searching for a village."

Because he really, really wanted to leave.

"Then let us be on our way."

Itachi attempted to sit up for the umpteenth time. He had made it further than Naruto expected him to, but still, he failed. Naruto sighed and inwardly cursed the man. It would take _days_ to move at that rate. His stomach did not have days. He heard a sudden _pop_ and looked to see Itachi testing his jaw with a visible wince; he had skillfully popped it back into place with his least damaged hand.

"You're still pretty weak," said Naruto. "At least wait a few more hours to be sure your ribs have properly set before we even think of moving. I've got to fashion you a crutch; there's no way you can walk on that broken leg."

"Clothing?"

It was only then that Naruto remembered that beneath the shirt that was used as a makeshift blanket wrapped around Itachi's waist was nothing. He did not remember that waiting back in the cells where they had been were their two matching headbands, one scratched and the other pristine.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "We were both naked. I managed to steal some pants and that shirt on you from a dead guy. You could tie it around your waist?"

Itachi did not seem amused. Naruto did not expect him to.

"I'll find an odd job to do at whatever village we reach, and I'll buy some clothes with the money I earn. Fair enough?"

Silence.

Naruto scrunched his nose. He sighed. He sighed again. And again. Turning around for privacy despite knowing Itachi was blind, he removed the pants he was wearing and tossed them to the man on the floor before snatching the shirt up from his body with closed eyes. Itachi lifted what had been tossed at him in confusion.

"Pants?" he questioned. His lips drew into a thin line. "You took this off of your own body."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "What?" _Could he see?!_

"It is warm." Itachi rubbed the material of shirt between his thumb and forefinger. "And I heard you take it off. And you said you only had one outfit from a single man. I cannot wear this."

"It's going to get cold. At least the pants will cover you up more than the shirt."

"I cannot –"

"The shirt is bigger on me than it is on you." It wasn't completely a lie. If he wore the shirt, it was stretched enough so that it barely covered his private parts. All he had to do was not bend down. Or run. Like a boyish dress. He picked up Itachi's undamaged arm and brushed it against where the shirt reached his thigh. "Feel that? So don't worry."

He did not catch what Itachi told him after that. He was far too concerned, too confused, too debating at what he just done. Was this who he was? The Kind Stranger. Did he often play this part? Was it normal? It felt like a very comfortable role.

He turned back to the broken man who was having trouble putting on his new item of clothing. Itachi could not sit up to bring the pants to his feet. Naruto sighed inwardly, knowing that if Itachi did not put on the pants, they would never be able to move to their final destination.

"Here, I'll help," he whispered reluctantly.

"No."

 _No_ , Itachi told him. _No, I want to keep what's left of my dignity. No, I don't rely on strangers. No, I am not weak._

"Seriously. I have to take the splints off of your leg anyway and put them over the pants, or else they'll never fit you." And it wasn't like he was seeing anything he hadn't seen for hours on end anyway.

He was sure Itachi would have argued if he had not quietly realized Naruto was telling the truth. The had-been blond smiled sadly.

Itachi hissed and Naruto realized he had pulled on a splint that had been stuck to his leg with crusted blood. The wood had pulled at the dark hairs along Itachi's pale leg.

"Sorry."

He released the leg from the splint and carefully slipped the pants over Itachi's injured feet, pulling slowly, slowly, up, up. He closed his eyes, partially to allow Itachi to retain some dignity and partially because he had seen enough. He finally felt the jutting bones of Itachi's hips and stopped, thankful that the pants had been loose and baggy. Naruto began to replace the splints on Itachi's leg.

"I'll try and find you a crutch," he told the older man and did not wait for a response before he left.

Meters from the tent, just by the banks of the river, Naruto's knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground with one large gasp. The weight of being alive but not _alive_ was too much to bear. The thought of being someone but not _himself_ was killing him.

 _Oh God, oh God, ohGodohGodohGodohGod_.

He just wanted the truth.


	2. Of Trial and Error

**Chapter 2**

… **:::Of Trial and Error:::…**

* * *

"We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy." – Walter Anderson

* * *

Hatake Kakashi had arrived.

He had imagined himself entering Konoha's gates after such a long mission. After a month, he expected a horde of decorated elephants to be standing just behind the gates of the village, adorned with beautiful women of all sorts who would throw flower petals at him as he entered. He expected a feast. A big one. And in the middle of the feast, a bathtub so he could bathe and dine at the same time.

He didn't really think he was expecting too much.

But when he entered the gates, there was no one to greet him but Izumo and Kotetsu, the guards on duty at the time. And they hadn't _really_ greeted him. They had been asleep on the job. Kakashi clucked his tongue at them but did not wake them up. They were not the first people he wanted to meet.

Now that he thought about it, and now that his fantasy was exactly what it was (a fantasy and nothing more), he did not really want to meet anyone. Especially not Tsunade, who would introduce him to Mr. Pen and Mrs. Paper for several hours until his mission report was completed.

All Kakashi wanted was a nice, hot bath.

So instead of wandering to Tsunade's office in the dead of the night, he staggered back to his lonely little apartment, the crusted blood on the back of his leg not making the process any better. And he slowly dragged himself up the stairs. And he reached into his vest for the keys to his apartment.

And he almost had them in his door, too, when Sakura showed up.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she exclaimed, grabbing her sensei around the abdomen to pull him into a hug. He wasn't quite sure if he should be surprised, annoyed, or grateful. So he settled for a pinch of all three, with a dash of sauntering gait, and looked down at her with a tired eye when she pulled away.

"What are you doing in the dead of the night?" he asked tiredly. "Were you waiting here this whole time?"

Sakura looked at him like it was the most absurd comment he possibly could have made. When he thought about it, later, in his bathtub, he thought it would be rather strange if he indirectly accused his underage student of stalking him.

"I saw you pass through the gates."

"Ah." Blink. Blink. "Well, I'm home."

"Welcome home."

". . . I apologize for my lack of enthusiasm, Sakura, but I'm a bit tired . . ."

She shook her head in a gesture to say it was all right. Kakashi finally managed to stick his key in the lock of his door and turn the knob.

". . . And not that this reunion isn't touching, but . . . why were you out in the dead of the night anyway?"

"I was waiting for Naruto." He could see her expression sadden in the darkness. "He was supposed to come home yesterday from his mission."

"The D-ranked one that Tsunade convinced him was an A-ranked mission?"

"That's the thing." She looked worried. "It's a simple mission. He should have been back on time, right?"

Kakashi smiled (tiredly). "You know Naruto."

"Exactly."

She didn't look too assured. Kakashi sighed inwardly (tiredly). And he sighed again. And again (tiredly). She was no longer his student, but he still felt some sort of fatherly need to wipe the anxiety from her posture.

"Sakura," he said, and waited until she looked up at him before continuing, "would you like to come inside?"

* * *

Naruto had been hopeful to restart their journey. He had even found a tree branch that acted as the perfect crutch, similar to an elongated slingshot where Itachi's arm would be able to nestle securely between the tapering, V-shaped branch.

The second Itachi had stood up, however, he had wobbled dangerously on his unbroken leg and had given a suppressed yelp of pain before he fell to his knees in a clatter of limbs, branches, and gasps, and vomited. With nothing in his stomach, he merely retched acid until it dripped from his lips in stringy saliva. Naruto had been immediately at his side (to Itachi's reluctance).

With a shuddering breath, Itachi had wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and had stared instinctively around. Naruto tried to suck in calming breaths. Patience, patience, he tried to recite. Patience, and he would end up gaining the best reward of all: the truth. He stood up and returned moments later, nudging Itachi with his hand.

"Here," was all he offered.

Itachi groped for whatever it was that Naruto offered and felt the softness of smallish fruit beneath his unbroken fingertips.

"It isn't much," Naruto said, looking at the last of the blackberries he had gathered from a day's wandering and ignoring the howl of his empty stomach, "but you need all the help you can get if you want to regain the blood you lost. If you need water, there's still the river. You're pretty dehydrated."

Itachi, supported entirely by the trunk of a tree, threw his head back and popped a single berry into his mouth. He coughed it up again, rejected over his lips in a purple waterfall, before he popped in another berry. He crushed it with his tongue and swirled it around in his mouth momentarily to taste. It was sweet.

Naruto watched him with mild fascination. Itachi could barely open his jaw without having to experience pain, and Naruto wondered what it must have felt like to chew, vaguely recalling the man's missing tooth. But Itachi did not seem at all in discomfort as he slowly finished off the last of the berries.

"Why . . . are you not injured . . . like I am?" he asked quietly, turning his head in what he assumed was Naruto's direction.

Naruto could only shrug pointlessly. "If you ask me any questions, Murakami, I'll never be able to give you any answers." When silence ensued for too long, he chose to speak up, "There's got to be a nearby village or something, right? I'm sure." He had grown uncomfortable in the silence. "That's the last of the food I had, and we need money. And maybe you can contact your village. Where are you from?"

Silence.

"You don't have anyone who could be out looking for you?"

"You did not find anyone or anything else in your cell?" Itachi chose to reply instead.

Naruto shook his head. "Not that I can remember. Why, did you have something important on you?"

Itachi frowned. Naruto took it as a yes.

The duo did not move for another half hour, when Itachi had managed to down three leaves filled with water and when he could stand without falling to his knees again. Naruto watched him, thinking of how unbelievably weak the man was, leaning far too heavily on nothing but a stick, feet shuffling awkwardly, sweat collecting at the tip of his chin from the exertion and energy it took despite the cool temperatures. Yet it must have taken sheer willpower for him to be able to stand and move with such extensive injuries.

He really wanted to know who 'Murakami Ryo' was before.

Their walk was done mostly in silence. Naruto was itching to ask questions but respected the man of little words, knowing if he was injured to such an extent, he would not want someone nagging him with questions either. Nor did Itachi mind. He was far too focused on coordinating the movements of his body. His legs ached for a rest but he refused – absolutely _refused_ – to show any other signs of weakness. Naruto could see this clearly in the way Itachi's pace slowed. He sighed. They would make it to some village in _years_ at the pace Itachi was going. But he had to pity the man.

"It's getting dark," Naruto whispered to him. He tilted his head to the sky where the sun beat weakly in the center and hoped Itachi did not notice his lie. "We should rest. We won't be able to carry on in the dark."

He smiled sadly to himself when Itachi nodded silently ( _gratefully_ ) because he knew he had earned a sliver of the man's trust.

Rather than landing gracefully on the ground, Itachi collapsed in a heap of broken limbs and wooden sticks. The makeshift cane snapped in half against his sudden movement and he lurched into the dirt. He laid there for several seconds, his face in the dirt, arms useless behind him and legs unable to bend beneath him. Immobile. Naruto looked at him and wondered why he could not bring himself to laugh, wondered why instead of a twinge of humor at this man's comical misery, there was only a twang of sympathy. At least, he thought, he knew he had been a nice person. He did not know his name, his family, his friends, but he knew he was a nice person before the devastation.

He put his hands on Itachi's shoulders to lift the man's face from the dirt and eased him onto his side.

"It was a bad idea to let you move."

Itachi swatted at his hands with his considerably good arm. "I will not be the hindrance to our journey," he ground through his teeth. "You have rescued me, have helped me, have given me your food, your clothing; the least I can do is lessen the time spent with me."

Naruto gave a wry smile and sat down next to Itachi, sincerely amused at the man's behavior. He drew his knees to his chest and rested his elbows on them. "You're not the type of person who's comfortable being in someone else's debt, are you?"

Itachi frowned. "It is not often I must rely on someone other than myself."

"Well that's unfortunate." Naruto stood. "Because you're going to have to rely on me for quite some time."

* * *

By the time night had actually fallen, Itachi had fallen asleep or unconscious – Naruto was unsure of which. All he knew was that the man's breathing had evened out and he no longer spoke or moved. Weakened from the lack of food, Naruto allowed a pitiful whimper to escape his lips as he curled up by the other body, his arms clutching his stomach tightly. He did not even have time to think about the situation he was in, to panic anymore about his amnesia, about the fact that he could possibly never wake up again. Sleep overtook him.

Itachi did not wake up with him hours later. It was not that he was tired. It was not that he was simply catching up on a few hours. It was that he could not wake up.

Naruto had awoken to find the man's clothing soaked in his sweat, his body shivering so violently it seemed like he was convulsing. He had a dangerous fever that, upon inspection, Naruto believed was the result of a serious infection to one of his wounds. He grimaced. Itachi was becoming more of a burden than an aid.

No longer worried about rattling broken ribs, Naruto began to drag Itachi along the floor. They _had_ to keep going. They _had_ to rest, to find food, shelter, and the truth. The man was not as heavy as he thought, although Naruto supposed the fact that his diet had consisted of berries and water had something to do with it.

He was so hungry, his eyes could not take in the smoke of a chimney at first glance.

An hour later, Itachi hanging off of his shoulder, he had noticed the trees were beginning to clear. The smoke of a chimney just beyond the horizon rose and curled in a wisp of black. It took Naruto several moments of blinking and one second of his chest tightening to recognize it as a chimney, and then another several moments for it to sink in. _Vroom vroom_ went his heart because he had finally found civilization. Salvation.

The hard part was arriving at it.

There were several things he needed to think about, such as _how am I going to get into that village without looking the slightest bit awkward?_ Or _is it possible to just walk up to someone and ask for a job? Maybe there's a nice old lady who'll be kind enough to let us use her house._ He found that if he did _not_ think about the issues he was sure he would face, he felt a lot better.

So he didn't think about the issues.

He simply set Itachi down by a tree obscured well by surrounding bushes and knelt down before him, lightly slapping his swollen cheeks and hoping it did not hurt too much. He wanted to leave the man out as he entered the village to look for a job because honestly, he could not just march into the village and set down a half-naked man despite how much he did not want to leave Itachi alone.

If he had to leave the man alone, at least he wanted him conscious so he could do his best to fend off anything.

"Please wake up, Murakami," he said, louder.

Itachi shifted awake, his breathing awkward, still feverish. He hummed in response but did not open his eyes.

"We're just outside of a village. Do you understand?"

Another hum.

"I'm going to go inside of it to look for a place to stay and an odd job for some money okay?"

Hum.

"But you have to stay out here. Are you going to be okay?"

Hum.

Naruto did not really think Itachi understood what he was saying, but it was growing dark and the chance of finding some random odd job would lessen with the night. He hoped, prayed, pleaded nothing would happen to the man just outside of the village.

He only had one problem left to deal with:

Making himself look somewhat presentable.

He had no pants. Granted, he did not particularly mind because the shirt covered what needed to be covered, but if he planned on doing rigorous work, he would need pants. Only Itachi had pants. Glancing back to the man against the tree who shook so violently he looked about to explode, Naruto thought otherwise.

Who really needed pants anyway?

He would fashion himself some underwear and stretch the shirt until it reached mid-thigh. As fast as he could, he grabbed three large, waxy leaves from a low tree and wrapped them beneath his shirt; one between his legs to cover his crotch and the other two as waistbands around his thighs. It was terribly uncomfortable, looked terribly awkward, and was his last resort, but he would rather have had it than have had Itachi naked and on the ground, completely vulnerable.

He was tugging at the bottom of his shirt to stretch it when Itachi spoke. The man's head lolled slightly but he finally, finally managed to open his eyes just a sliver. He stared in Naruto's general direction.

"Can I . . . trust you?" he breathed out heavily.

Naruto nodded despite knowing Itachi could not see him. "With your life."

Itachi seemed somewhat content with the answer. He did not speak again.

Naruto wriggled around in (not) his shirt and adjusted the belt, hoping people did not mind if he was not wearing any shoes, and washed his face in the river. He stared at his rippling reflection.

The first time he had come across the river, he had stared at his reflection for a long, long time. He had never seen it before. Not that he could remember. Blue eyes and whiskers. He was beginning to think he was some kind of experimental animal, some kind of _thing_ that did not deserve to live, but he had long since relinquished his suicidal ideology. He was going to find the truth.

He felt it was something he would have done before.

He stood straighter, puffed his chest out a little, made sure there was no visible blood on his entire being, and marched up to the wooden fence of the village. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found it was a somewhat large village, one without a name yet it contained a marketplace that Naruto could see stretched far beyond the initial buildings. A part of him rejoiced at the village's size. With so many people, there would be a greater chance for him to find an odd job here or there.

His stomach wrenched.

 _No, not now, not now_ , something always went wrong when he felt his stomach twinge. There was something eerily familiar about the village that he could not place.

Had he been there? In the times of before?

He walked awkwardly about. Now that he was in the village, he was not exactly sure what to do. He felt like walking up to any person and asking if they needed something. Something told him he was that kind of person. Bold.

So why didn't he feel bold? He felt scared. Who was he before? What if he had been someone's enemy? Desperation, however, pushed him forward.

He stayed on the outskirts, where the farmland and wooden houses were scattered about. Better chance for a job. His eyes (sapphire, he had learned – they were a dark shade of blue) scanned for any signs of elderly men or women, any damsel in distress, man overworked.

He found one.

He could barely believe it. He had found a man struggling with the roofing of a tool shed just on the outskirts of the gate. With a newfound enthusiasm, he strode right on over, legs and feet bare but grin there, and said, "Hi, sir, if you need some help, I'd be willing to –"

The man rounded on him. He was a lot bigger up close. He stared at Naruto. Hard. In the eyes. Gave him a onceover. Another onceover. And then he laughed.

"Run out of pants, kid?" he asked.

Naruto fought down a blush of embarrassment. "I'm just looking for a job."

"A job, eh?" The man hopped off of the bottom rungs of a ladder he had been standing on and stood to the side, as if inviting Naruto forward. "Think you can hammer in those remaining shingles?" He held out his hammer and a handful of nails.

Naruto took them with a grin. "I'll have it done in no time."

"Great."

The man's voice held no enthusiasm. Nothing but skepticism. Naruto felt naked as the man watched his every move. He could feel his gaze on him as he worked, clambering up the side of the shed's roof and bending down just enough so that his shirt did not ride up. The sun baked his bare skin and he wiped the sweat from his brow with his torn sleeve.

Naruto's was disturbed to find that when he was done, half an hour later, the man had not moved at all. He stood with his eyebrows furrowed and lips in a faint sneer. Naruto carefully jumped the remaining rungs of the ladder and felt the grass beneath his bare toes. He managed another grin.

"All done, sir."

"Great."

The man simply turned to leave.

Naruto's grin faltered. Beads of sweat rolled down his temples. "Sir?" he called respectfully.

"What?" and the man had turned around to sneer viciously at him. "You want some money?"

At that, Naruto's gaze fell to the floor. "Well, I was hoping you'd –"

"Here's your payment, kid."

 _Wham!_

Naruto found himself on the floor. He gasped and clamped his hands over his nose, eyes wide in surprise as he attempted to grasp the situation. The man's body towering over him put him in blessed shade from the sun. Naruto felt his stomach twinge but settle.

"Foreigners like you need to understand that that's not the way things work around here," the man spat at him. "Our villagers have worked hard to keep our own system of work ethics. We don't accept ninja like you coming in here and changing our system. Thinking you can come in here looking like a damned fool and getting a good pay! We are perfectly fine without you!"

Naruto gathered himself to a standing position. He wiped the blood from his nose and stood, angry.

"What is your problem?!" he screamed. People were stopping. Staring. In that moment, he didn't care. "My sincerest apologies, _sir_ –" he spat the word in sarcasm, "but I'm actually trying to _earn_ my money! Your accusations are completely ridiculous!"

The man sneered. Naruto only grew angrier.

"I'm not a ninja! I don't even have shoes! I don't have food! I don't have shelter! But I'm not stealing, am I? I want to work so I can help a friend out with an honest pay! Is that so wrong?"

"You're unwanted."

He was left standing there, bleeding sluggishly from his nose as the man disappeared in a stream of people. Something inside of him told him sympathetically that perhaps the man had had a bad experience. Perhaps he had a terrible grudge against ninja. Maybe a family member had died because of ninja. Or maybe he had been in a terrible mood all day.

Naruto was aghast to find himself looking for the best in a man who had just punched him in the nose. He focused on the stream of people that began trickling away to change his thoughts.

There was a woman staring at him.

She was young. Her hair was a simple brown, cut in a simple bob to match her dark eyes. Her hands rested on her hips, her weight shifted to one foot. She was smiling at him.

"Hey kid," she called. He looked at her. "Would you mind helping me out with a thing or two? I sprained my knee a few days ago and can't really get around to doing anything."

Naruto wiped at his nose again and grinned, trying to inconspicuously wipe his hand on the back of his stained shirt. "Sorry about that."

"Bah." The woman waved her hand dismissively and smiled. "No one likes that guy anyway. Want to follow me any time soon? Get your cleaning cap on. I hope you're not allergic to dust or anything."

"No, ma'am!"

At least, he hoped he wasn't allergic to anything.

* * *

Her name was Eri and she had made Naruto clean her house, dust her shed, sort her books. She had paid Naruto a hefty sum that he believed he had not deserved, but she insisted he take it before she pushed him out the door and threw an old pair of shorts at him to keep. He noticed, with a wry grin, that her knee was perfectly fine.

Naruto had thanked her so much, he had been seconds from prostrating himself to her for her kindness.

"Murakami! Murakami!"

He was running into the forest as the sun set, bag of new purchases at his side, practically skipping in his new shorts in search of his friend to tell him of the good news.

"Murakami! Look what I've got!"

He found his (friend?) partner right where he had left him and landed in front of him on his knees with enough force to bruise. With hands shaking from sheer excitement, he held out the remaining money he had earned.

"It's enough to stay in the motel for tonight and eat! And I bought you . . ."

His smile slid right off his face. His hands fell limp. There was something wrong, something so wrong with the way Itachi was not moving. Was not responding. With a sinking feeling in his gut, he put his money in the bag at his side and reached forward to gently shake Itachi's head.

"Murakami? Hey," he whispered softly, "can you hear me?"

He was burning up.

Naruto cursed and hit the floor angrily. They could just not get a break. Itachi was going to die if he didn't get him medical attention. He had to work quickly.

He had wanted to surprise Itachi with a new shirt. Instead, he jammed it only over the man's head to cover his naked torso before he began dragging him back into the village. He stayed on the outskirts once more in a half-hearted effort at keeping a low profile. All he cared about was getting his 'Murakami' to safety.

Eri had pointed out the way to the motel and Naruto had made sure he had memorized it before he had gone to retrieve Itachi. Now the decision had been for the better, he thought as he shifted so Itachi was more stable against his body.

When he made it to the motel, he gave up most of his earned money to the seedy old owner who barely looked in their direction.

Itachi was becoming considerably worse.

However, Naruto had the benefits of a bathroom (without a shower) and worn towels, one of which was now wet and slung over Itachi's forehead in a desperate attempt to break the rising fever. And he waited, waited, waited for Itachi to awaken.

When Itachi finally stirred, it was only to slip from the _tatami_ mat and onto the floor so he could vomit a string of acid. Naruto frowned as he pulled the unconscious man back onto the mat. He looked at the money he had left. Enough for a good meal. Just one good meal.

Or maybe a medic.

He looked to Itachi. Uchiha Itachi. UchihaItachiMurakamiRyo. The last thing and only thing he had left to hold on to for answers and for the truth. He sighed.

Minutes later, the medic came in.

He was young, tall, with glasses straight and hair askew. He was, "Akanishi Tatsuya," and he was utterly shocked at the state Itachi was in.

"What happened?" Akanishi asked as he bent over Itachi and gently prodded his bruised jaw.

"We were attacked." Naruto wasn't sure "I don't know" was deemed a socially appropriate answer, or "We were experimented on and then we managed to escape." Instead, he continued, "I found him like this, and I was on my way to bring him to my village, but he got worse."

Akanishi was silent for a long, long while. He grabbed Itachi's forehead and _pop_ , reset his jaw properly into place. Itachi did not flinch. Akanishi placed some ointment over Itachi's eyes and turned back to ask, "Was he blinded?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

Prod here. Inspection there. An occasional _pop_ of a setting limb, or the _scccretch_ of medical tape wrapping around a sprained ankle or wrist. Akanishi sighed at last.

"I'm sorry," he said. His fingers danced over a wound on Itachi's chest that Naruto had almost vomited at its sight. "He won't make it much longer."

 _Thud._

It was the sound Naruto's heart made. Just a _thud_ at dawning reality.

Uchiha Itachi (Murakami Ryo) would die.

No.

No, he couldn't.

He needed to live.

"There must be something you can do," he tried. "He can't die. He's too young." _He needs to tell me the truth._ "I'm sure there's a family waiting somewhere for him." _Oh God, what if he did have a family?_

"Not in this village, you can't." Akanishi stood and removed his glasses. He cleaned them on the edge of his pristine dress shirt. "But the legendary Sannin Tsunade lives in Konoha. It's about a four days' trip, nonstop. If Murakami here can live that long, I'm sure she'll be able to do something about it. But you must leave tonight if you have any hope of making it."

Tsunade.

Konoha.

The names pricked him with intense emotions that he could not place, like a delectable meal just out of his reach. He inwardly gritted his teeth.

"As soon as he wakes up, we'll head out," he said.

He meant it.

Akanishi accepted the money Naruto handed him (the last of it) and bent his head to look at the blond from over the top of his glasses. _"If_ he wakes up."

He left.

Naruto looked back at Itachi and cursed the day they ever crossed paths.

* * *

Itachi did not wake up for a very, very long time. And Naruto was hungry.

The boy had not moved from the man's side. He could not have done anything if he wanted to. Itachi was ill. They had no money. He could not get another job in the village when he had made such a commotion (Eri had been a blessing). And so Naruto attempted to entertain himself by imaging what he was like before.

He turned back to eye the Uchiha in the dim light of the lamp at his side. The swelling of his face had gone down considerably so that there was just a light puff of his cheeks and around his right eye, but the colorful bruising was still there to mask his otherwise porcelain features. The rest of his body was swathed in bandages and creams, covered by a new, loose button-up shirt and the stolen pants. Itachi would have to do without any shoes.

It was well into the night when Naruto heard the first, "Ken?"

"Yeah?"

And then nothing.

An hour later, "Ken?"

"It's still me, Murakami."

"Why are you still here?"

"You're all I have right now."

Itachi was silent for a moment. Then, "You are a man of honor."

Naruto was unsure of how to respond, so he said nothing at all. Surprisingly, Itachi carried on the conversation for him.

"Where are we?"

"That village I was telling you about." Excitement bubbled in his chest. "I worked for a nice woman and she paid me enough to get this room! And I even had a medic come and check up on you. How're you feeling?"

"Terrible." His voice was nasally and it sounded as if the mere act of talking was exerting far too much energy. "As if I am dying. We must leave immediately."

Naruto frowned. "Just take it easy." His frown only deepened. "I'm sorry I couldn't really . . . get you anything to eat. I spent the rest of the money on that medic. But we have tap water."

"I apologize. I have become a hindrance."

"Don't be. There's bound to be fish in the river or something." Lies, lies, lies.

Naruto watched Itachi's mouth close and twitch for a few moments.

"I can taste blood."

"Water, then?"

Naruto busied himself with preparing a cup of water from the bathroom sink. Itachi attempted to sit up and failed.

"Ken," he whispered, but Naruto noticed the weaker tone it took. Itachi's mouth was opened and he was trying to gulp down any air he could, his head sliding off of the pillows beneath him so that he was flat on the mat, unmoving. "I feel . . ." but even that sentence was too much for him and so he silenced, attempting to conserve what little energy he had by not moving at all.

"No, no, Murakami, you've got to fight. You're too young to die. Here."

He eased himself onto the edge of the mat and gingerly propped Itachi's head using the crook of his elbow. Itachi did not struggle against him as he carefully tipped the cup against his lips and let a sip of water escape into his mouth. After the bob of his Adam's apple, Naruto inclined the cup again for another sip. And another. Itachi did not splutter and regurgitate the water like he had done many times before.

He was healing well, but not fast enough. He quickly turned incoherent, eyes flickering beneath his eyelids and breathing harsh. Naruto feared they would never be able to do anything, not with Itachi so weak.

"Is there anyone you can contact, Murakami?" Naruto pleaded. "We're finally in a village! We have access to all sorts of things. Do you have a mother? She's probably worried sick. A father? Sibling? Friend?"

Itachi stopped him with a silent hand gesture. He shook his head.

"They are all dead."

 _Thud._

Dead?

How could someone's entire family be dead? How could he have no friends? No one looking for him? No one who cared about him? Naruto looked down at the head in his hands. Just what sort of monster had he picked up?

What if he had no friends, either? No family? What if he was as alone as the stranger in his arms?

"No one?" he squeaked.

Itachi shook his head again.

"Murakami . . . where are you from?" he asked for the second time. His body language demanded an answer. For a while they sat in silence, until Naruto realized Itachi had fallen unconscious. Or perhaps he was dead. Honestly, Naruto wished he was either.


	3. Of Suspicion and Thunder

**Chapter 3**

… **:::Of Suspicion and Thunder:::…**

* * *

"The bonds that unite another person to ourselves exist only in our mind." - Marcel Proust

* * *

When Kisame returned, Pein was not happy.

"It seems your partner has yet to report," he told the blue-faced man when he entered and trailed to his room. No visible annoyance. No rise or fall of his tone. Like a nonchalant comment.

"It's Itachi." He shuffled his feet, Samehada suddenly too heavy on his weary back. "I haven't seen him since you called for me to take care of the Six-Tails. Just contact him."

"I have. He isn't responding."

Kisame frowned but did not turn his head to let it show. He continued his slow journey to his room. "It's Itachi," he repeated. "He's the most loyal of us all. Maybe something's going down. He'll be back on the radar before you know it."

Pein hummed in response.

Kisame just kept frowning.

* * *

Naruto did not sleep.

He watched the sun rise. With a stone that had made permanent residence in his stomach, with his throat closing, he had pulled back the olive green curtains from the motel window and pressed his nose against it. Just beyond the horizon, behind the snow-capped mountains, a single ray of sunshine was peaking over the top.

The second the sun revealed itself completely, they would be forced to leave the motel.

And Itachi was still unconscious and dying on his mat.

Naruto just kept staring at the sun. He willed it to not rise. Perhaps, if he stared at it long enough, and with a pinch of willpower, it would stay down. Perhaps.

He looked back at Itachi, at his only travel companion, his only form of company (of comfort), the only keeper of the truth. He heard the growling of his stomach and he sighed.

"I'll be right back," he pointlessly told the man on his mat before he shuffled his bare feet across the wooden floors and descended the stairs.

The seedy receptionist looked expectantly at him when he stood in front of his desk. "Where's your friend?" he asked when he could not see Itachi.

"We'll be staying for the day, too."

"Sure." He told him the price.

Naruto tried to smile at him. "I'm going to go get the money right now."

He frowned at him. "I'm sorry, but you can't stay if you don't have the money. You can leave and then come back."

Naruto grew desperate. "Listen, I'm going to be right back, my friend is really sick and he can't move and I have the money, I'm just going to get it!"

The seedy old owner looked over the top of his glasses, one eyebrow lifted. Without averting his glance, he jabbed at the clock behind him with one bony finger. "You have one hour."

Naruto thanked him and raced off with only one destination in mind.

* * *

"Eri-san?"

The brown-haired woman turned around, her round face bright with recognition when Naruto appeared in the doorway. "Ken!" she exclaimed lightly, beckoning him in. "Shouldn't a kid your age be sleeping in? What are you doing up before the sun has yet to settle?"

Naruto managed a sheepish smile as he stepped over the doorframe and into the smallish house, keeping his head bowed. "I was hoping you had . . . another job," he said in embarrassment.

Eri smiled softly at him, a knowing glance in her eye. "You've been so great at cleaning my house. Let's see if we can find you something to do out back." She gestured for him to follow. Naruto wiped his bare feet as best he could as he stepped into the house and followed her out the back door.

The garden out back was a fragment of farmland. Eri set him to do menial labor as the sun shifted higher into the sky. Naruto was embarrassed, very much aware she was only asking him to pick and pull at weeds because she pitied him and not because she actually needed the work. He thought, however, as the sweat began to bead down his temples and collect at his chin, that he would do the best he could to earn whatever money she would give him. Anything to earn just a few more hours of board.

"What are you working for anyway?" Eri asked him as she watched him plow the dried dirt just behind the house.

Naruto wiped at his forehead. "A friend of mine is pretty sick. He needs a lot of medicine." His eyelids were growing heavier, the hoe in his hands slipping every now and then between his fingers.

"Ken?" he heard Eri's voice distantly in his mind. "Ken? Come take a break, you don't look so great."

His vision was dimming.

"Ken?"

He barely felt the ground as it came up to meet him.

* * *

 _Drip . . . drip . . . drip . . ._

Blond eyebrows scrunched at the drop of water that hit between then.

 _Dripdrip . . . drip . . . dripdrip . . ._

Sapphire eyes opened.

He was in a house.

Not just any house, he noticed when he sat up in an unfamiliar bed and looked around. He was in Eri's small house. On a bed. In a room.

Alone.

"Eri-san?" he called out in the silence. "Eri-san?" A little louder. The ceiling was leaking water. The sound of the rain peppering against the roof of the small cottage was somewhat deafening in a hard, rapid _daradum daradum daradum_.

The young brunette came in, all smiles, with a tray in hand. "Good afternoon, Ken." She set the tray down on a small table in the center of the room and picked up the glass of what appeared to be orange juice. "When was the last time you ate? You passed out from sheer malnutrition."

Naruto was not listening. The words "good afternoon" rang in his ears like some kind of dull mantra. Afternoon. Afternoon. _Afternoon afternoon afternoon afternoon._

"What time is it?!" he asked, panic-stricken.

Eri frowned at him. "A little past one. Took quite the fall. What –"

"Murakami!"

Naruto swung his legs over the bed and attempted to stand up, but a delicate hand stopped him at his chest and pushed him back. "Murakami?"

"The friend I told you about! I left him back at the motel and told the owner I'd be back in an hour with the money to stay in the room!" He rounded on the young woman, eyes wide and fearful. "He can't physically kick him out, can he? He can barely move himself."

"I would not think he is allowed to do so." Eri frowned. "I didn't know you were staying in a motel. I would've let you stay here if I'd known. I'll go check for you, Ken. You're far too weak. You need to eat something."

Yet Naruto continued to look for the exit. "You don't understand, Eri-san," he whispered. "He's the only thing I've got left."

A hand on his shoulder stopped him and something was suddenly shoved into his own hands. Naruto looked down and could have broken into tears then and there.

Money.

"You're going to need this," Eri said with a smile, eyes scrunching. When Naruto shook his head, she scoffed. "How do you expect to have him healed? Prostitution? When you find him, come on back and I'll let you two stay until you're healed."

Naruto could only smile warmly and thank her as much as he could in as little time as he had. He ran, the rain pounding against the concrete, Eri calling after him, "Buy yourself some dinner!"

* * *

Itachi woke up.

To no one.

He called out Ken's name as best as his voice would allow, surprised that it came out rather loud. Again, he called. There was never an answer. Only rain peppering against a nearby window. He attempted to lift himself instead, stubbornly aware of the pain that filled every one of his joints but not quite caring. It took several minutes and several trials to finally sit upright, and another several minutes for him to swing his legs over the bed in preparation to stand. By that time, there was a brief knock on his door. A professional _knockity-knock._

He did not reply with a low, "Who's there?" because he did not want to be found. So he sat and waited. If it was Ken, he would have come in without knocking.

Ken was not even in the room to answer the door.

He heard the door open anyway.

"Excuse me," came the voice of what he assumed was a man. Old. Irritated. His voice was quiet and his steps were tentative, and Itachi focused on the small gasp he took in when he realized there was another person in the room. "He said you were unconscious."

"He?" Itachi spoke, averting his eyes to the floor so the man would not see that he could not see.

"Ken, I think his name is. Your friend. He hasn't returned so I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

Of course he had not returned, thought Itachi. Of course. Who would bear the burden of a blind man who could not even walk? And imagine if he knew the truth. Blind Uchiha Itachi.

"I was just leaving."

The old man paused for a moment. Itachi thought he had clearly not been expecting that answer; he supposed he should have put up some sort of resistance, but he was too tired, too confused, too un-Uchiha to think properly. "Well . . . good, then." Then, to maintain some sort of authority, he added, "I expect you out of here in ten minutes. There are other waiting customers."

Granted, there were none. Itachi had heard no other voices during his short moments of when he was conscious. But he nodded anyway. He waited for him to leave before he attempted to stand, but he still stood in the doorway. The man's voice was contemplative when he spoke.

"You look terribly familiar."

 _Vroom vroom._

Itachi tried to play off the comment. "Generic Japanese genes," he said with a wave of his good hand. He vaguely found that his broken hand was in a sling. When did that . . .?

The owner paused again and Itachi could tell he was unsure, untrusting of him. He thought he could sense that he was Uchiha Itachi. S-ranked missing-nin. Akatsuki member. Murderer. Traitor. Fiend. He felt him leave, however, and began his attempts to stand.

It took longer than he expected.

A lot longer. The man had come in again when he had finally managed to cross the room. He had not bothered to look for his things; he was wearing clothing and that was all that mattered. 'Ken' had probably taken when he needed anyway. What idiot would run from him and leave all his things behind? 'Ken' had not sounded like an idiot. Far too kind, he thought, and far too trusting, but, thus far, not an idiot.

Nonetheless, he continued to contemplate as he slowly, slowly, slowly made his way down the stairs of the motel with the man's eyes on his hunched back, he had been a trusting idiot himself. To trust a stranger so lightly, especially in such a vulnerable state.

Although that could have been the reason he had trusted this Ken stranger. In the beginning, it had been the sedative. The accumulation of drugs pumped forcibly into his system that changed his state of mind like some sort of jutsu. Yet once the drugs had run their way through his system and he found he was still in 'Ken's' presence, there had been _something_ about him. Something he couldn't quite place, but something that had used its magnetic pull to draw him in. And he was definitely drawn in.

For a while, he had thought finding 'Ken' had been some sort of privilege. The boy had been nothing but nice to him, had put up with him, had fed him.

Staggering through a village he did not know and being unable to see with no guiding hand, however, he thought otherwise.

Now, he felt nothing but a fool, and Ken was nothing but a traitor.

Like him.

He had no idea where he was going, and it was raining.

 _Perfect._

It was definitely still light out because he could feel the heat of the sun on his naked skull and there were people in the streets gasping at him as he stayed as close as he could to any building he could find. The buildings were far too spaced out. From one to the next he stumbled and sometimes he fell until his good hand could brace his body against another wall. Mud splashed his pants and arms.

More gasping people.

His head hurt. There was a dizziness he could not place. His throat was closing.

More gasps.

He cursed – outwardly or inwardly, he was not so sure anymore. There was an incessant pain in his left leg (was it supposed to move like that?), a spike drilling into his mind (ouch ouch ouch), something crushing his lungs (his broken ribs?).

Gasps.

It was him, that time.

And then he hit the floor.

* * *

Itachi woke up in a tent.

Someone nearby breathed out long and unsteadily. "You're finally awake."

Ken.

"Where . . .?"

"Out in the forest. I bought a tent so we could travel better. You've been out for _hours_ , Murakami! I thought you'd never wake up!"

"How . . ." That wasn't the question he wanted to ask. "You returned?"

Naruto stared at him in confusion. "Yeah," he said, nonplussed. "Why wouldn't I?" Then, after a second's thought, he said, " _That's_ why I found you outside of our motel room? You thought I'd left, so you were leaving, too? Damn it, Murakami, I wouldn't leave you! Do you know how scared I was when I found you? You weren't moving and you were bleeding all over the place . . ." He trailed off, inhaling deeply and swiping one hand over his face. "I'm not going to leave you, Murakami. Now come on. You haven't eaten in days and you already look like you're about to waste away. I've got some soup on a boil."

Itachi chose not to reprimand himself over ever doubting the odd, amusing entity that was 'Ken'. He sat up, finding that it was slightly easier with a pile of leaves to prop up his head, and heard Naruto moving about just outside the tent.

"Where did you get such money?" he asked.

"This really nice lady I worked for." Naruto brought in two bowls of steaming soup, handing one to Itachi. "She let me bring you to her place for a while until I could buy a few things to set out, but we caused such a huge scene in the village that I had us leave as quick as possible. Bought us some food to last us until whatever other village we come across and some –"

He paused suddenly, grunting. The broth in the bowls in his hand splashed precariously as he bent over slowly.

"Ken?"

"I'm . . . okay," Naruto grit out with a grin. "My stomach's just . . . been hurting a lot lately."

"Medicine?"

"It's more than a . . . stomachache." The pain was gone as quickly as it had come, as it always was. Naruto extended a slightly shaking hand and told Itachi to grab the bowl of soup it held, asking if he would need help eating and chuckling lightly at the twitch in Itachi's eyebrow at the suggestion.

"We've got to get moving soon."

Itachi raised his eyebrows at this as he lifted the bowl to his lips. "Oh? To where?"

Pause. "I can't remember. Eri wrote down directions for me and it's in my backpack somewhere . . . It's a village with a really great medic!" So he was over-exaggerating, but Eri had told him his amnesia could be healed, and she might even return Itachi's sight. "Your eyes can get healed, and my amnesia will be cured and I'll finally know who I really am!"

Right.

Itachi had forgotten Naruto had had no previous memories of his life.

"The village is four days away if we don't stop, but we're probably going to have to stop for a while so it might take a little longer. But don't worry." And he grinned. "We'll make it."

Itachi felt his lips twitch in amusement.

The atmosphere had been going well until Naruto insisted they attempt to move again since the sun was beginning to rise (what time was it? what day was it?). Itachi had painfully managed to crawl out of the tent and was attempting to stand on his own when Naruto handed him the crutch he had bought. Itachi felt the cool metal and his lips formed a thin line.

"You bought this for me?"

"The medic left it for you.

"Do not lie to me."

Silence.

"When I am healed, I will pay you."

Naruto took a moment to think. Itachi was in his debt. A blind man could (and he laughed inwardly at the bitter irony) could see the internal battle raging within Itachi: trust a stranger, forever in his debt. He could tell Itachi (whoever he had been before) had never been in such a situation. To have to lean, quite literally, on a stranger for support, to depend on someone else's hands to feed him, someone else's money to clothe him and heal him, was ripping his dignity to shreds.

So Naruto thought he would be rather frank as he rested his hands on Itachi's shoulders to help the man stand:

"You hate yourself."

He could have sworn Itachi growled at him. The man all but ripped himself from Naruto's grasp and staggered forward, his one good hand attempting to balance himself on the crutch. His attempt failed and he crashed to the floor on his knees, swallowing a scream of agony when the vibrations made their way to his broken leg and agitated his ribs.

"Am I right to assume you've never been in this situation before?" Naruto continued as he watched Itachi struggle to his feet. "You hate how you have to rely on me. You hate how you're too injured to do anything. And you especially hate being in debt to someone else."

"You do not know me, stranger," Itachi ground out in the closest thing to anger Naruto had seen in the man. He was finally on his feet, broken leg suspended slightly above the ground, sweat pouring down his flushed face. A silent threat of speech hung in the tension of the atmosphere.

Naruto did not dare to speak until they had been walking for an hour. He did not complain that he had not had a lick of sleep since he had seen Itachi collapsed on the side of the road. It had not taken long to reach the forest; Itachi had been determined to carry on despite the lack of food in his stomach and the feeling that he was going to die then and there.

"Murakami," Naruto began quietly. Their pace was excruciatingly slow. Naruto's usual _stepstepstep_ pattern had become _step . . . step . . . step . . ._ "What kind of life do you lead? What happened to make you so against depending on others?"

Itachi did not answer him.

So Naruto tried again, an hour later, when he had set up camp after Itachi had collapsed and fallen into unconsciousness. Itachi woke up next to the warmth of what he suspected was a blazing fire, a cool cloth on his forehead and Naruto asking if he was hungry.

He was bordering on starvation, but he would be damned if Naruto fed him. The bowl of mystery food was placed into his hand and he sipped it, relishing in its warmth and recognizing it as – yet again – simple miso soup.

"Murakami," Naruto spoke up as he watched Itachi down the large bowl of soup in three gulps. "What was your family like?"

"The least you know about me, Ken, the better," came the indifferent reply. "We will be parting ways as soon as I am healed."

"Can I know if you are allergic to anything? Eggs? You need protein to build up your strength."

To Naruto's surprise, he replied, "Anything but steak." Itachi – again, to Naruto's surprise – snorted, quite surely thinking _Because in the middle of the forest, with a person from some unknown village, they would be serving me steak._

Naruto handed Itachi two readily-cooked eggs he had bought from the supermarket at the village they had just left.

"So you're not a steak person, huh?" he tried to revive the dead conversation. "It's okay. I don't remember if I prefer one thing over another. Although I remember something about tomatoes. Maybe I really like them."

He did not notice Itachi's breath hitch suddenly.

The man gently set down the empty bowl in front of him and did not say anything for a while. Naruto picked up the bowl to refill it for him. After several minutes of silence, Itachi took the bowl of soup Naruto offered him and said, "My younger brother loved tomatoes, too."

Naruto looked up in surprise. He was thankful Itachi could not see his wide-eyed expression. The man himself had been indifferent when he said it, eyes pointed at the ground, in such a nonchalant manner that he could have been speaking of the weather.

"Yeah?" Naruto said, sincerely curious. "What's his name?"

 _Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke –_ Itachi hesitated.

"Taichi."

"Do you get along well with him?"

"He is dead."

 _Thud._ Like his heart had said a simple _Oh._

"Oh," was all he could repeat rather lamely. _Dead. Dead. Dead._ "I'm so sorry."

The silence soon became unbearable for him. He sat back, stomach content, and rested on hands beneath his head. "Murakami, where are you from? What did you do, to lose all the people close to you?"

Because, he thought, maybe he'd done the same.

Naruto doubted he would ever receive an answer from the man, but Itachi opened his mouth once, twice, and finally spoke.

"I am a ninja, Ken."

A ninja. Naruto could remember what a ninja was. His mind flashed with visions of fire and fangs, of water that flew in the shape of dragons and sand that swirled without an owner. He shuddered and his stomach gave a painful twinge, but he ignored it in favor of saying, "I remember that. I remember ninja. They . . . they protect people, don't they?"

Itachi's mouth suddenly thinned. He turned in Naruto's direction in an attempt at a serious stare. "You try to," he said simply. "But sometimes I believe it is nice. To not be a ninja."

Naruto stared at the man curiously. Itachi rarely started the conversations.

"Why is that?" he found himself asking despite the flashing images of clones and blades. "You have the power to defend the people you love, don't you? To fight for what's right. You get to fight the evil that tries to take over the world." He sat back a little in admiration. "I would do anything to be a ninja."

He saw the bitter smile that captured Itachi's lips. "It's a disaster both ways, Ken," he said in such a depressing tone that Naruto wished they never touched upon the subject. "Imagine if we were fighting each other. You wish to protect the people you love. I wish to protect the people I love. We are both fighting to defend others, yet one of us must die. Who chooses who deserves to die?" He shifted slightly. "Are we not both right, to defend our loved ones?"

 _Thud._

His heart broke off and descended slowly, painfully into the pit of his stomach. He supposed he had never thought of ninja that way. He had memories of them always striving to protect friends, family, villages, countries, but never realizing those they fought were striving for the same reasons. He stared at Itachi, suddenly not seeing a man in what he assumed were his twenties but a dying man in his sixties.

"You are lucky to be simply you," Itachi concluded. "I have had to kill so many . . . too many people to protect the people I love."

"I'm sorry," was all he could say.

How many people had been killed who had had a family? A wife and kids? A husband? Had everyone wanted to protect their loved ones, too?

No. He shook his head. He was not a ninja. He did not have to worry. He had not killed anyone, had not hurt anyone. He was just Ken.

Just. Ken.

Wait.

Had Itachi said he had had to kill so many to protect the people he loved?

"If everyone you cared about passed away, who were you protecting?"

Itachi turned in his direction again and Naruto could swear he was staring _right at him_. The man blinked innocently at him. "I couldn't protect them."

 _Thud._

Naruto wasn't sure how much more his heart could take.

* * *

Kakashi woke up and immediately knew something was wrong.

It had been a day since he had returned. Sakura had spoken to him about her concerns and he had let her leave – an hour later – feeling reassured, although he himself had not been too sure.

He was currently in his apartment, sheet of paper glued to his bare cheek from where he had slept on it and his mask had slipped slightly. There was never a time when he was in a mood to do a mission report, especially the report of an entire month of ongoing. He woke up with a bubble growing in his stomach that told him that something was simply not right.

Naruto should have come home.

Yes, Naruto loved missions, but he rarely went on solo missions. The blond needed to socialize with other people. He was not the type of person who enjoyed lonely nights and silence. Kakashi thought he would be overly enthusiastic to return home. Yet here he was, three days overdue, and still no sign of the blond.

Yes. Something was wrong.

He forced himself from his chair, unstuck the paper from his cheek, and arched his back to remove all the kinks before he sauntered from his living room to the outside world where the sun was merciless on his tired eye. He headed for the only place he knew would do something about a ninja who was late in his return:

The Hokage's Tower.

Kakashi took the stairs for once. Up, up, up he went, his knees aching, his back screaming, his shoulder throbbing, but his mind acting as his painkiller because thinking about Naruto as anything else but safe hurt enough. When he was granted access to the room, Tsunade – without looking up from her own paperwork – said, "If you don't have that mission report for me, Hatake, you shouldn't be here."

"It's Naruto."

That caught her attention.

Tsunade raised her head and with it, a blond eyebrow. Her expression softened when she saw Kakashi standing in a manner that was not wholly his, not entirely correct for his usual nonchalant stance. "Have you been getting sleep? Is it that shoulder of yours? We can properly heal it now, you know."

Kakashi shook his head as his fingers massaged the bandages beneath his shirt. "Naruto hasn't come home yet. Wasn't he due back days ago?"

"I think he's angry at me for giving him that fake A-rank."

Again, he shook his head. "I think something's wrong."

Tsunade frowned. "Sakura's been coming to me about that, too." She looked down. Looked up. Eyes locked on Kakashi's (tired) gray pupil. "Hatake, are you up for one more mission?"

* * *

Itachi had been gone when Naruto woke up.

The blond spent a great deal of the morning panicking.

Itachi had disappeared while he had taken a few hours to finally rest in what had seemed to be days. At first, he was surprised. How had he managed to leave when he could barely speak? Then, he was angry at Itachi for saying he trusted him and then running away. That _bastard_! Why would he want to leave?!

He concluded his quick whirl of emotions with a rational, "There must be an explanation." With that, and the thought that Itachi would never be able to make it too far, he took off.

Imprinted into the dirt floor were tell-tale signs of Itachi's crutch and the dragging of his feet. Naruto was unsure if he should frown at the prominence of the imprints of Itachi's crutch (just how heavily had he been leaning on it?) or smirk at the blind man's determination, and so he settled for a neutral twitch of his lips before following the trail, leaving his camp behind.

Minutes later, he was actually quite surprised at how far Itachi had made it and vaguely wondered if the man had been at it all night. Fifteen minutes later, Naruto scrunched his nose at a dried mixture of blood and vomit on the earthen floor and had to take several deep breaths to not vomit himself.

Ten minutes later, Itachi was curled up on the floor beneath the shade of a large tree, crutch abandoned, dried blood crusting his lips, and shivering so violently Naruto could barely hold on to him.

"Murakami?" he tried to rouse the man as conflicting emotions began rumbling in his stomach. Confusion, sympathy, anxiety. "Murakami? Hey, Murakami?" He settled for worried with a hint of annoyance because he knew he was going to have to drag the man all the way back to camp.

It did not take long to return Itachi and drop him unceremoniously into the tent. Naruto shooed a squirrel away from their breakfast and sat in the silence to eat it himself. The days were beginning to blur together.

Naruto busied himself with packing for their next quick trip through the forest. Itachi's health was deteriorating rapidly, his breathing becoming shallower, his weight far below average, skin sallow. Having nothing better to do, Naruto attempted to fashion a doll.

It felt a bit like déjà vu.

He used twigs to put together the body of what he imagined was a girl. Lithe and lean. For her hair, he imagined flowers. Pink, he thought, and found himself vaguely wondering why such a hair color would exist in the first place and why he was not the slightest bit disturbed. Four picked flowers and ten minutes later, he was looking down at a girl dressed in red with pink hair. He smiled.

Itachi did not wake up until night had fallen and Naruto had set up camp again. The Uchiha woke up in a state of delirium.

His eyebrows furrowed, his face no longer swollen but rather raccoon-like with the heavy bruising that surrounded his eyes in a mask. He tossed and he turned in the tent, growing still at times when the pain became too great or jerking up when he had an urge to vomit.

"Ken," he rasped out once. "What . . .?"

"Why did you run away, Murakami?" Naruto attempted to sound disappointed and saddened but could only feel sorry. "I don't think I gave you a reason not to trust me."

"I . . ." He drew his eyebrows together in confusion. "What . . .? I . . ."

He willed Itachi to sleep that night, realizing it was delirium that had caused Itachi to leave.

In the morning, Itachi's head cradled in the crook of his arm and a spoon of ground apple at his lips, Naruto tried again. Itachi was not as delirious, but he was burning up and the blond was surprised he did not melt when he held him up.

"We're almost there, Murakami. You'll be healed. I'll be healed. It'll be all right."

Later, Itachi was covered in Naruto's soaked t-shirt in a desperate attempt to lower his temperature.

"You need to get better or you won't make it to the village. Please, Murakami."

When had he become so attached to a complete stranger?

The wounds on Itachi's head had scarred over or had healed. A thin layer of black hair was beginning to grow back so that Naruto could barely see any more of the porcelain scalp. The bruising around his eyes that had once been blacks and dark blues were lightening to lavenders and dark yellows; the bruising that had come with his dislocated jaw was faded.

They made it to another village by nightfall. Naruto knew he could not drag Itachi inside, only to spend more money on a motel when they had a tent. He would need any money he earned for medicine. And so he set up a fire, had Itachi sleep on the blanket he had bought, and ran quickly into the village. A few fixed leaking roofs from the previous day's rain, six cut plants, seventeen weeds pulled, and two deliveries later, Naruto had enough money to buy a few days' worth of food and plenty of medicine to attempt to heal Itachi. Konoha was most likely two days away.

He could do it.

Mother Nature applauded his hard work as he was running back to Itachi. Her hands clapped together and there came the thunder. And with it, lightning.

And with it, rain.

Naruto heard the hiss of the fire he had set up as he neared. His nose twitched at a drop of water. Another hiss. Another drop. He cursed.

He had not intended to set up the tent because it was such a hassle to pack again, and so Itachi was spread out beneath the canopies of the trees on the black blanket. The rain, however, was quickly becoming heavier by the second. His hands shook as they unhooked the tent from his bag.

He cursed again. They were _just outside of a village_ and he did not have enough money for a hotel room because he had used it to buy _onigiri_ and tomatoes.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he chided himself as he hammered away at the tent's stakes. The rain was no longer a simple drizzle. He wiped it from his eyes in an attempt to focus solely on the task at hand. The fire fizzled out of existence. Naruto's hands were slipping on the synthetic fabric of the tent, the poles refusing to stand upright, and he growled in frustration. "Come _on!"_

Mother Nature responded with more thunder. Lightning lit up the sky not seconds later.

Naruto wiped furiously at his eyes with his soaked sleeves and growled again when the pole slid from his hands for the umpteenth time. He had been about to toss the damned thing on the ground when he suddenly felt the tent shake from the other side. Frowning, he leaned to the side so he could peer around the inflated fabric.

Itachi.

He was there, kneeling on his good leg, good hand fumbling for the other side of the pole yet deftly planting it firmly into the ground and hammering the stake in as if he was not blind. His mouth was set into a firm line, his expression indifferent.

"Grab it with your sleeves," he rasped out suddenly, head turned in the direction of Naruto.

The soaked blond was too surprised to act for a few moments, wondering how Itachi had managed to crawl from where he had lain to the tent, found the poles, and put them in the right location.

Naruto did as he had been advised and held the pole firmly with his hands in his sleeves. It worked. The pole sunk into the muddy earth not moments later and he let out a yelp of joy when the tent was finally up. He shoved his backpack through its flap, lamenting at the soaked blanket that would have to stay outside, and then walked over to pull on Itachi's arm.

"Thank you," he told the man sincerely when they were somewhat safe inside the dry confinements of the tent.

"That is but one of the many acts I can do to word my own many thanks." Itachi's voice was hoarse and raspy but no longer the slow, breathy tone it had once been. He sat awkwardly hunched in the tent, obviously in pain from the limited space and shivering. Naruto tried to push himself into a corner of the squared tent to give Itachi more room.

The blend of peppering rain against the tent and the thunder deafened the once-silent forest and for a while the two of them sat shivering in the silence as Mother Nature ranted on. It was dark.

"You need to get rid of your clothes," he attempted to say in his most professional manner. He was already taking off his own sodden shirt and tossing it into an opposite corner. "You've been on the verge of death more than once in these past days. Adding onto that fever of yours will surely kill you. My blanket was in my backpack so it's okay, but yours is soaked, so we'll have to share."

Itachi did not show the slightest bit of discomfort at the thought of removing his clothes and went about it slowly. If he was reluctant, it was not obvious. Naruto had removed everything by the time Itachi had only removed his hand sling and struggled to strip his shirt from his torso with a single hand. With not enough money, Naruto had not bought underwear, and he was thankful for Itachi's blind eyes.

Moments later, in the silence, Naruto sucked in a breath.

He was naked, sharing a tent, in a rainstorm, and surprisingly comfortable with _a complete stranger._

 _What the hell am I doing?!_ his mind asked over and over as he unconsciously drew his knees to his chest. He had found himself over the past few days constantly stopping to laugh at the dream-like reality he was placed in. The incredulity of the situation was beginning to wear off, however. He looked around in the tent and thought, well, _yes_. He was spending time with a stranger in what was perhaps the most unusual manner he would ever be in.

But honestly, it had been _days_. Naruto no longer had the energy to silently laugh humorlessly at the situation. He only had two goals that he put all his time and energy into completing: keeping Itachi alive, and getting to that medic.

Goal number one was an ongoing job, he thought as he handed Itachi the only blanket he had. His eyes caught the fading bruises, welts, and scars that littered the man's body beneath the swaths of bandages. To think about the endless _what ifs_ would be too much. What if he hadn't shared a cell with Itachi? What if Itachi had been some sort of murder, someone he couldn't trust? What if he hadn't agreed to come with him?

He had to accept the fact that he was there, now, with Itachi, in that tent, listening to the pepper of rain and the occasional slam of thunder and lightning.

"Are you afraid of thunder?" Itachi whispered randomly in the silence.

Naruto turned to face him. Itachi was staring to the right of his direction, a trace of amusement in the twist of his lips. The blanket was pooled at his pelvis.

"No," Naruto deadpanned. He vaguely wondered if he was. Before.

"You jump when it sounds."

"It's loud, okay?"

His amusement was no longer simply a trace when he said, "I wonder what kind of ninja you would be."

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm not." He pouted.

It was difficult for the silence to continue in the rage of the storm outside. Naruto brought his knees even closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, willing the storm to cease. He supposed he had had bad experiences with storms before. There were flashes in his mind of blood, of battles, of people wielding lightning like swords, or calling upon the rain like they owned it themselves or had Mother Nature on a leash. He saw people playing with fire like it was ice, and using ice like mirrors, sand like dough, wind like water.

It was all very frightening.

Itachi did not need eyes to notice Naruto's discomfort. "Tell me what you can remember, Ken," he spoke in an attempt – attempt to what? To comfort him? Uchiha Itachi comforting a complete stranger? "Anyone you can remember?"

Naruto could only shake his head. He replied with a question of his own.

"What was Taichi like?" he asked and immediately regretting treading too far too soon.

Naruto almost choked on his saliva when Itachi answered and did not descend into silence like he had expected him to. He vaguely wondered if it was, in fact, easier to open up to a stranger.

Itachi, however, lived up to his expectations:

"Younger," he merely said, as if that was an explanation in itself, and he did not go on. Naruto did not pry, knowing it was all he was going to get out of the mysterious stranger.

The silence, however, was no longer awkward, no longer tensioned. Naruto was surprised. He saw Itachi's free hand ghost over the scars around his eyes in the darkness.

"Is it scary?" he asked suddenly. Itachi's head twitched in his direction.

"What?"

"Being blind."

The usual silence followed. "Ken," he began simply, "it frightens me more than you could know."

Naruto was frightened himself.

"You must be pretty brave," he said and was surprised at the reaction.

Itachi let out a bout of hoarse, humorless laughter. "I am, perhaps, the most cowardly of all the ninja in the land, Ken, but I appreciate your uplifting attempt."

"Cowardly –?"

"Are you sure this person in the village we are going to will heal my eyes? Do not make me regret coming with you," Itachi quickly interrupted.

"Well, I don't have a clue, but what do you have to lose?"

Itachi slid carefully onto the floor when the pain in his ribs became too much. He adjusted the blanket over his naked body. "Nothing. I have nothing more to lose." He gestured to Naruto. "Are you not cold? This blanket is rather large. A sick person cannot take care of another sick person."

Naruto hesitated for a fraction of the second before he shook off his embarrassment for his wish to survive. He stretched the blanket Itachi held out until it reached its end before he slid under it, as far from the other man's naked body as possible, yet still enough so that he was covered.

"Eri-san told me this story," he began. Without conversation, the thundering rain would only draw tension. "It was about some ninja from a village coming into his own. They attacked it. And it was ironic, because he'd met a few other ninja before, and they were so kind . . ."

When he had finished his anxiety-induced waterfall of words, he looked to see Itachi's reaction and smiled to himself. The man had fallen asleep, his free hand tucked under his head and the blanket falling off of his chest. Naruto imagined little boys who fell asleep during thunderstorms as their mothers told them bedtime stories and was surprised at how comparable Itachi and the little boys were. He readjusted the blanket so that it came up to meet Itachi's neck before settling himself in his own corner.

* * *

Kisame frowned.

Itachi was usually never tardy with his reports to Leader. Usually, perhaps, was not the word. Itachi was _never_ tardy. He prided himself in punctuality. Kept his room in pristine order (although with nothing but a bed and a closet, there was nothing to keep in order). Chided Kisame whenever he was late.

So where the _hell_ was he?!

Pein was not amused.

Neither was Madara.

"Perhaps something has happened," Konan said from where she sat in the main room of the lair.

Kisame frowned at that, too.

"We should get Zetsu to –"

"Zetsu is busy taking care of the body of the six-tails we have just recovered," Madara interrupted. "Itachi is a big boy. He can take care of himself."

That was exactly why Kisame was worried (although he would never admit it). Because Itachi could take down anything in the blink of an eye. Because Itachi was never late, did not take long strolls along the shore when he should have reported or had appointed a return date for himself, did not fall into trouble.

Kisame frowned.


	4. Of Music and Fire

**Author's Note:** I combined Chapters 1 and 2 after some feedback that the story had been off to a slow start. I figured combining the two chapters would stop deterring any readers! Sorry for any confusion.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

… **:::Of Music and Fire:::…**

* * *

"By ourselves we can enjoy life, but to really appreciate life we must find companionship." – Anon

* * *

Eleven mornings. Ten nights.

Naruto had been with Itachi for eleven mornings and ten nights, constantly confined together. He had taken care of the man for eleven mornings and ten nights. Had learned so much in eleven mornings and ten nights.

He woke up to the warmth of a blanket tucked in carefully around his shoulders. Itachi slept on the other side of the tent (in such tight confinements, Naruto could barely call it the "other side"), good arm wrapped around his torso and legs pulled up as tightly as he could to his chest without agitating his ribs yet concealing his privates. Naruto frowned at both the shivering state Itachi was in and at the blanket wrapped around his own body.

He returned the blanket and pushed open the flap of the tent. A lungful of fresh air reminded him of the rainstorm he had ended up sleeping through; the damp smell that clung to the air was still there. The lush green of the forest had returned, bathed in a layer of dew that glistened with rays of sun that peaked through the canopies of the trees. It was the first time Naruto focused on the birds that twittered in the morning atmosphere. He stood, shivering slightly in the damp air, gulping down the taste of the rain that still lingered in the forest. He hated rainstorms, but the bright tones of green that emerged after were dazzling.

Naruto busied himself in the morning with the laundry. He hung their soaked clothing on bare branches nearby, next to their dampened clothing; in wet pants, because he would be damned if he walked around naked.

"Murakami," he called to Itachi when he reentered the tent to fetch his backpack for breakfast. "Come on, we can make it to that village in a day if we start now, and then we won't have to sleep on the ground anymore." When Itachi did not answer him, he studied the motionless body. "Murakami?"

Nothing.

Naruto crawled forwards to inspect the older man, prodded him lightly in the shoulder. He held out his palm in front of Itachi's open mouth. A puff of breath, light, shallow, but still there.

 _"He won't make it much longer."_

"No, no, no, no," Naruto chanted, turning Itachi on his back. "One more day, damn it! Stay with me for one more day! Murakami! Murakami, wake up!"

He tore through his backpack. Bandages and ointment wouldn't help him. Not anymore. The fight lay in Itachi's immune system. Naruto attempted to pour every bottle of medicine he had down the man's throat. A part of him vaguely wondered if he was fighting to save Itachi's life for his own benefits – his hands were shaking as he lifted Itachi's head and held his nose – or for Itachi himself.

Two hours, one cloth soaked and soaked again, and two bottles of medicine later, Itachi stirred.

"Ken," he rasped, unmoving.

Naruto made sure the dampened cloth was in place. "You're getting worse. You need to eat something to build up your immune system."

"Ken," Itachi tested, still refusing to move. "I . . . I feel . . ." Delirious. "Ken . . ."

"One more day, Murakami. You've got to fight this. You've come too far to end up like this."

Itachi whispered something Naruto did not hear.

"What?"

". . . Ryo."

Naruto couldn't help but grin. They were off of the last-name basis. "Ryo. Come on. I've got _onigiri_. Can you sit up?"

His morning was spent making sure Itachi survived. When it became clear that Itachi was in no shape to stand on his own and begin walking, Naruto sat down, tomatoes in hand, and kept the resting man company. Except, with no memories, he had nothing to say.

"Wouldn't it be nice," he said, instead, "if someone was nice enough to make happy ramen?"

The word _ramen_ had popped into his head for one reason or another.

"Happy ramen?" Itachi amused himself with asking despite the pain that surged through his body.

"Ramen with eggs and celery in it. The egg halves make up the eyes and the celery makes a smiley face. For sad people to eat."

He bit into his tomato and watched Itachi's lips twitch.

"I had a good friend –" Itachi coughed in an attempt to clear the rasp from his voice "- who could draw using seaweed strips. He would create cartoons on my omelets if I was having a particularly horrible day."

"Is he gone, too?" Naruto asked and inwardly cringed because he knew what Itachi would reply with.

A nod.

". . . Ryo, what're you living for?"

Itachi sighed wearily. He cleared his throat, shifted, flung his good hand over his eyes. And he sighed again. "I would give anything to watch my brother grow up."

 _Thud._

What?

"What?" Naruto wanted to ask, wanted to demand, because there was this growing feeling in his stomach that made him sick, it made him sick, so very sick, "I thought you said your brother was dead?" He was done with confusion. He was done with odd feelings of memories that had begun to jog before they slowed down. He would have asked again if Itachi's body hadn't begun to convulse. The man shuddered, attempted to gulp for air and cough simultaneously, blood gurgling past his lips. With a yep of surprise, Naruto was immediately at his side, looking for the source but finding none.

"Come on!" he urged desperately. "Stay with me!"

"Ken." Itachi sucked in a rattling breath, the sound so harsh Naruto flinched.

"I'm still here, Ryo. Just stay awake, okay?" He was panicking. Itachi was dying. "Stay conscious."

He was shoving things into his backpack in an attempt to clear some room. Itachi was terrifyingly still –

Terrifyingly. Why was Naruto _really_ terrified?'

– And Naruto had to grip the Uchiha's wrist several times to make sure he was still alive. He stood still for a moment, wondering what to do, where to go – to carry on? How? And when he reached the village, what would he say? _Hi, we just escaped from some crazy laboratory and I have amnesia and this guy is blind, and we don't really know who you are, and we're broke, but can you help us out anyway and heal us?_

Without another option, he simply forced Itachi to down two spoonfuls of a bottle of medicine he had bought. _I'll take care of him_ , he thought as he watched the thick syrup dribble down Itachi's chin. _For as long as it takes. Just until he's good enough to walk again._

It took two mornings for Itachi to be able to sit up on his own accord.

Itachi had gone in and out of delirium as Naruto had gone in and out of sleep. The blond was absolutely exhausted, his muscles aching from kneeling over Itachi's body for hours on end and his eyes crying for sleep that the blond would not give.

Vaguely, as Naruto sat beneath the shade of a tree, one leg dragged to his chest and his arm slung over it, a sheen of sweat making his sun-kissed skin glisten from the morning sun, he wondered why no one had come looking for him. Who was he? Did he have no family? No friends? Was he even human, or perhaps created in that very building he had escaped from?

During the second morning, Itachi could sit up and eat what little food Naruto gave him (because it was the only food they have left, and Naruto thought there was no way they could hold out much longer without starving, without a river for water).

He just wanted to go home.

Wherever that was.

Itachi had recovered from his delirium and no longer needed to pause between his sentences to gulp for air. Naruto was grateful; it was a sign he was healing well. He had wanted to ask about Itachi's brother again. Itachi, however, never returned to the subject and simply relished in the silence.

Uncomfortable in too much silence, Naruto asked him what he had been doing before he was attacked and if he could remember anything. Itachi had been breaking up a stick of celery at the time using his teeth and his unbroken hand.

"I am on a longitudinal mission," he answered before he placed a piece of celery in his mouth and chewed slowly. Naruto was surprised he had answered at all. "At the time, I had been separated from my partner. There is not too much to do on such a mission rather than wander and gather clues. Odd jobs here and there for money, but there is not much interaction with others." Pause. Breathe. Chew. Chew. "Someone simply attacked me. I had expected it, to a certain extent. I had just left a small village and had felt someone following me for a while. His chakra was powerful. One could detect it from a mile –"

"Chakra?"

Naruto had heard the word before.

Itachi nodded. "Your natural energy. More prominent in ninja because we have learned how to wield and manipulate it. Train hard enough and you can sense it."

"Can you sense my chakra?"

A shake of the head. "I have tried many times. I am too weak. Something has blocked my abilities."

Naruto seemed somewhat dejected. He wanted to know if his chakra had been prominent, as Itachi had said, and then it would mean he had been a ninja before. His mind drifted to thoughts of _before_ and he forgot to ask Itachi to continue his account of the events.

"Why are you coming with me?"

"Do you not enjoy my company?" Itachi asked with a smirk, sightless eyes turning to Naruto.

"No, no!" Itachi's smirk widened at how flustered he had gotten. "It's just . . . you seem like a powerful guy, like you can take care of yourself. Yet you're putting up with me, and I don't even know who _I_ am or if where' we're going is legitimate."

Itachi offered a stick of celery to Naruto, who took it and chewed thoughtfully. "At first, I had no choice. I could not move away from you even if I wanted to."

"And then you could."

"And then there was just something about you, Ken." Itachi smirked at this. He would have reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair if he could see and if he hadn't known their heads had been shaved. "It is not every day I come upon a stranger who is willing to help me. I have nothing to lose. And besides, you need to lead me to that village you speak of to have these eyes of mine healed."

Naruto was grinning by that point. Something about him. He wondered what it was himself.

"That's okay," he said to Itachi. "You sound like a nice guy."

 _Thud_. Itachi's heart joined his stomach. It had been a while since he had been called a nice guy. Uchiha Itachi was not often placed in a sentence with the same words. Nice guy. He was a nice guy. He had killed had murdered had slain, but he _sounded_ like a _nice guy_.

Huh.

"What're you going to do when you get your sight back?" Naruto broke him away from his thoughts.

" _If_ it returns,"Itachi corrected.

"It will. Don't worry."

"You seem to enjoy learning about me."

"Well, I'd tell you things about me if I knew."

Itachi seemed to suddenly remember something. He turned in Naruto's general direction, eyes blinking pointlessly. "Have you ever had the pleasure of playing a leaf?"

Naruto raised one eyebrow. ". . . What?"

"Playing a leaf." When Naruto did not answer, he outstretched one arm to nothing in particular. "Would you hand me a leaf? Preferably a waxy one."

So Naruto stood up, left the tent, pulled a leaf from the nearest tree, and returned to hand it to the expecting man. Itachi wiped it briefly against his sling and folded it along its spine with his only good hand. His tongue darted briefly from between his teeth to slicken its edges before he brought it to his puckered lips. He had to bend his head so his broken hand could hold on to one edge of the folded leaf as his other hand pinched the other side. And he blew.

 _Fzooooooooo!_

It was a noise that resembled a kazoo, one that made Naruto burst into a bout of chuckles. Itachi tightened and loosened his chapped lips to bend the tune for a few more seconds before he stopped to breathe.

Naruto, grinning, accepted the leaf Itachi offered him. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Something I picked up when I was younger. It takes quite a bit of practice, however, so if you are currently attempting it, do not feel dejected if you should fail." His face, having never taken on any sort of expression, softened ever-so-slightly. Naruto did not notice. "I taught that to my brother. And how to whistle."

Naruto looked up. "You speak about your brother a lot."

"If you were a ninja," and Itachi leaned back slightly, his fingers meeting a stray leaf and picking it up, "you would understand the need to hold on to your best memory."

Naruto only smiled sadly. Something told him he should smile sadly.

Itachi brought the leaf to his lips again and blew. There was no emission of the kazoo-like noise but rather the sound of his breath catching in his throat and he fell into a fit of violent coughs.

"Let's stop the leaf-playing for the day, yeah?" Naruto said softly. "Why don't you get some rest? We can head out when you wake up again."

Itachi nodded his head slowly as he eased back on the floor of the tent, the leaf forgotten by his side. Minutes later, when Naruto made sure Itachi's breathing had eased and he was fast asleep, he turned around to crawl out of the flap of the tent.

The sun began to set. Naruto had seated himself on the dirt floor of the forest, waxy leaves scattered around him, broken, as he attempted to light up the silence of the forest with plant music. The entire branch of the tree above him was bare by the time he had achieved his very first, very short-lived noise from the edges of the leaf. He laughed quietly to himself, tossed the broken leaf to the floor, and stood up to pick another leaf from the tree above.

Suddenly, there was a flare of pain.

It was not unfamiliar, the pain gradually building in his stomach. He had felt it for days. It came and it went quickly. That time, however, it was worse. It was agonizing. He fell forward on his knees, hunched over with his hands clutching his stomach. It was _so painful_. He wanted to pass out. He wanted to die. He wanted it to end.

The world around him was suddenly too hot, too hot, too hot, he was sweating and tears were leaking from his eyes and everything just _hurt_ he wanted it to stop to stop to stop. He threw off his shirt in an attempt to lessen the heat and gasped.

The black ink of his stomach that had not come off no matter how much he had tried to scrub it away was beginning to move. The swirls connected. The _kanji_ was rewriting itself.

 _There was something orange bubbling out of his stomach._

With a yelp of surprise and pure agony, he fell backwards and landed hard on his back. The orange continued to bubble up from his chest, breaking out of it painlessly, bloodlessly. He arched his back against it, his body jerking in violent spasms and his mind blanking out at odd times.

And then he felt warm.

Not scorching, as he had felt. Just warm. A comfortable feeling. There was no more pain in his stomach. Just orange somethings coming out of his skin. Huh, was all he found he could think. Just a simple _Huh_.

 _Flick._

Lights out.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto woke up.


	5. Of Learning and Teaching

**Chapter 5**

… **:::Of Learning and Teaching:::…**

* * *

"Unbelievable, it feels like it happened so fast. It was so horrible - it was a bad dream. It was just so quick." - Carolyn Ferguson

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was awake.

Not Ken.

Uzumaki.

Naruto.

Except he could not return to consciousness. He laid there, on his back, in the middle of the forest floor, body convulsing yet healed completely by the Kyuubi's chakra that had been leaking out of him for days in an attempt to heal his vessel. Eyelids flickering, whining softly, going through a nightmare of everything that had happened.

Because Uzumaki Naruto remembered everything.

He remembered being in the forest, returning from a (fake) mission, innocent.

o0o0o0o

Naruto would never admit that he was lost.

Heart beating fast, hands shaking, breaths coming out in erratic whispers, "No, no, Kakashi. You can't. She's too young." Hands still shaking. "Sakura, you can't be serious." He closed his eyes, gulping, anxiety rising in his chest so that it puffed out as he waited for the inevitable.

Kakashi and Sakura were suddenly pressed against each other in a lip lock like never before, and he was forced to watch –

– Naruto promptly dropped Kakashi and Sakura to the earthen ground, suddenly bored and somewhat nauseated with where his imagination was going. He stepped over the twigs and continued on his way. Sakura's grass hair fell off and Kakashi's straw headband slipped from his face.

He would never admit he was lost.

He – amidst the trees, surrounded by the flowers that had recently shaken off the winter snow, beneath the sky as clear as his conscience – was not lost. He was simply taking a detour. After all, his mission was over. What would it hurt if he returned to Konoha a few days late? He could amuse himself with figurines of his teammates. He made them himself; Kiba and Lee had already been dropped a while ago, much like Sakura and Kakashi had been. One figurine hung from his backpack, its spiky head hitched through the zipper's pull loop.

Bored, he averted his energy to relishing in the silence of the forest and outstretched his arms so that his fingers could skim the leaves of the trees around him. Dew flew like crystal sprinkles, like clear confetti to decorate the ground before he stepped upon it. So what if he was lost? He was equipped with all sorts of knowledge to return him to his home: moss grew on the north side of trees, there was a compass somewhere at the bottom of his backpack scattered with empty ramen cups, and when it was dark, he might be able to pinpoint the North Star and be on his merry way.

No, he thought. There was nothing wrong with being lost.

There had been only one set trail through the dense forest. Not one for convention, he had strayed from the trail, where the trees narrowed and bushes grew rebelliously in all directions. There had been enjoyable scenery, complete with curious animals and curious-looking plants, but it had resulted in him taking a detour – as he called it – and the detour was going on for too long.

He sighed.

Loneliness was not his favorite companion.

He told himself he would sit, enjoy a sandwich, and fish for his compass when he spotted exactly three wild rabbits. They were not hard to come by and were often easy to spot because they had yet to adapt to an environment that did not camouflage their snowy fur. Immediately, he spotted one and grinned at the imaginary taste of his sandwich.

Number two did not come for several minutes. When he spotted it, he had forgotten why he was spotting them in the first place and he took a moment to contemplate the strange game he had come up with. He could not remember why he was spotting rabbits. Rapidly losing interest, he ripped off a branch from a nearby tree and began to think of who to mold into a figurine.

Gaara, he thought. He would need a lot of yellowed grass to act as swirling sand and a red flower to imitate the flaming hair of the Kazekage. With a grin, his dancing eyes spotted scarlet flowers in the near distance. A sudden enthusiasm propelled him forwards in a run and he stopped just in time to prevent a run-in with the plant.

A wild white rabbit moved in the corner of his vision and he jerked his head towards it, memory suddenly sweeping over him so that he remembered why he was searching for them in the first place. He squinted. It was certainly the spikiest rabbit he had ever seen. But nonetheless, it was his third rabbit and he forgot all about Gaara's hair and sat down then and there, removing his backpack and beginning to open it.

But the rabbit was still there.

He narrowed his eyes at it in suspicion. Perhaps it wasn't a rabbit, he thought. Perhaps it was a snow leopard. Or a mountain lion. Or an albino bear cub. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure what it was and so his curiosity peaked to new heights and he found himself standing up again to walk over to it.

Naruto lost consciousness not seconds later.

o0o0o0o

Naruto's body convulsed violently from where he lay.

He remembered waking up to nothing. Literally nothing but an empty cell, with no bars, no windows, no doors. Just a solid room with a ventilation system out of his reach. And no one else.

He could remember passing out and waking up on a steel table. He could remember someone's hands on him, someone's hands in him, a stranger he could not recognize with a surgical mask on his face and purple eyes he had never seen before. A pawn of some larger scheme. His hands had been belted at his side, his legs to the table, so that he could only arch his back pitifully every time those gloved fingers sunk themselves into the seal on his stomach and all he could think was _They're after Kyuubi._

He could remember drugs shoved past his teeth that he had swallowed forcefully. He could remember injections that had broken his skin and could remember how the Kyuubi had not come to the surface to fight back.

Because he had been tampered with.

He could remember waking up in a new cell, with a cellmate just inches away, his stomach bleeding out his life and wondering why the superior force living within him was not doing anything to stop it.

Because he had been tampered with.

And most of all, most of all, he remembered staring into the Mangekyou Sharingan when he had pulled Itachi closer to see if _he was all right._

Naruto convulsed one last time and quickly rolled onto his stomach as he vomited everything he had eaten in the past days. He retched every last drop in his stomach until he was spitting acid, his limbs shaking too much to hold him up, unwanted tears leaking from his eyes involuntarily.

He remembered killing through eyes that were not his.

Kyuubi had taken over. Momentarily. Naruto watched through flashes of memory as he broke free of the restraints once when he was seconds away from being injected again. He had jumped at the man who had attempted to hurt him.

He had killed him.

With his own hands.

(Were they his hands? They had claws on them. He hadn't been thinking. This was Kyuubi's fault, this was not _his_ fault, it was Kyuubi's it was Kyuubi's they had been his hands not his own.)

He could remember staggering through the halls of the underground lair, could remember attacking (mangling, oh _God_ oh _GodohGodohGod_ he had been the one who had killed _that man_ had caved his head in like _that_ had gouged his eyes out oh _God_ ) the guard and wrenching the keys to _Uchiha Itachi's_ cell from his _cold, dead hands_.

He had passed out then and had woken up meters away from where he had been, only to trek back and see his own bloodied footprints leading away from Itachi's cell. Someone had found him, had shot him with a tranquilizer, had picked him up, _and had disappeared and oh God oh God what had he done with him?_

He could remember picking up Uchiha Itachi (why Uchiha Itachi?) and tearing out of the lair in a matter of seconds because he felt superhuman (was it him or Kyuubi who had been moving? It had always been his eyes but was it really _him_?). And he had run so far, so far, anything to just get away until he found the river and the forest _and the rabbit and set Itachi down so he could sink his teeth into that innocent rabbit because he was just so hungry so hungry too hungry._

Naruto vomited so much he could have possibly regurgitated that innocent rabbit.

It hadn't been him, he tried to reassure himself as he sat up, sweating and sore and crying. It had been Kyuubi. The beast had taken over his actions, his body had been dying and the Kyuubi had only wanted to keep it alive.

But then, then, then he could remember, he could remember, oh _God_ he could remember the fact that he had been traveling with Uchiha Itachi – Uchiha _fucking Itachi_ – for over thirteen days and twelve nights.

Uchiha Itachi.

 _Uchiha. Itachi._

 _Vroom vroom_ went his heartbeat, racing too fast for his chest to handle, taking his breath way. His knees wobbled and he felt weak again, thoughts racing faster than his heart –

– _Uchiha Itachi wrapped in my blanket and I just helped him and OhGodhe'sinmytentwhatdoIdowhatdoIdohe'sjusthereandIjustspentaweekhelpinghimandOhGodwhatdoIdo –_

He tried to calm himself down, tried to pull the brakes on his heart before he passed out. Uchiha Itachi Uchiha Itachi – the name would not register. Uchiha Itachi, murderer of his clan, member of Akatsuki who had been after the thing inside of him, sworn enemy of his best friend. And he had just spent time fraternizing with him as if they had been friends for years.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or laugh.

So he vomited.

Again.

"Ken?"

His heart stopped because there – there, there, right _there_ – was Uchiha Itachi crawling his way out of the tent, half naked and swathed in bandages that Naruto had helped put on, blind and frowning in his direction.

Uchiha Itachi did not know he was Uzumaki Naruto.

"Are you all right? I heard you throwing up. Are you sick?"

Uchiha Itachi worrying about Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto could have thrown his head back and laughed. Just outright laughed at what was happening. He had Itachi under his control then. He was Ken. Anonymous Ken. If Itachi knew who he really was, he could kill him, and his heart went _vroom vroom_ at the thought. He spared a glance back at the man and his heart eased its pace, his eyes no longer able to remove themselves from the porcelain face staring in his direction. Itachi was swathed in bandages, with two dislocations, a number of broken bones and lacerations. He was lucky to stand. Naruto felt the only danger he could possibly be in was to look into his eyes. Yet he could remember Itachi telling him he could not sense his chakra.

Too weak.

Uchiha Itachi was weak. Tampered with.

"Ken?" Itachi said again and moved closer, and Naruto realized he had not said anything for several minutes.

"Ryo," Naruto used Itachi's fake alias and almost laughed. "I . . . I remember."

He had a plan.

Itachi cocked his head to the side. Naruto thought he didn't look so well. Too thin, skin too sallow. "Remember?"

"Who I am."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He would wing it. He would bring Itachi back to Konoha.

Konoha.

He was already heading in its direction. He was only days away. He could do it, he could do it, he could do it.

"Hitoshi Sho." New stranger. Innocent stranger. Not Uzumaki Naruto. His voice picked up enthusiasm. "I'm an herbalist, Ryo. From a little village south from here! I live with my uncle and . . ." He paused, sincerely frowning. "My parents passed away. But my best friend . . . my best friend, she can heal your eyes, Ryo. She can do anything."

He would not kill Itachi, he concluded himself as Itachi looked at him with an unreadable expression. Itachi was not his target; he was Sasuke's. Sasuke had spent far too long and sacrificed far too much with the vision of his dead brother clouding his sight for Naruto to suddenly ruin the vision. Even if Naruto disagreed with his revenge, he would not be the one to shatter his dreams. He would take Itachi back to Konoha where Tsunade would be able to extract all sorts of important information from him.

Yet he stopped again to think.

Itachi. The way he spoke about his brother (Taichi? Or Sasuke.). The way he treated Naruto with respect. The conversations they had. The hints he dropped of his feelings for his family, his little brother, his life. Was it just a ploy? An attempt to disguise Itachi as something he wasn't?

Naruto had no time to think because Itachi was still staring at him, still frowning. He was reaching forward to plant his hand on Naruto's shoulder but ended up missing and catching air. "Are you sure? You're feverish."

Naruto nodded. "I was collecting herbs for my uncle when I was knocked out with some kind of chemical."

"Like an odorless mist?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Naruto frowned. A chemical. That had been it. Naruto thought he could have laughed at the stupidity of the situation. A mere chemical. What ninja in his right mind used a gas chemical? It was difficult to come by and could have only been concocted by someone who understood the sciences well.

"I was taken the same way."

Naruto could have choked on his own saliva.

"Do not place the word ninja and honor mistakenly in the same sentence, Ken – ah . . . Sho. For the ninja I fought had no honor. I was struck from behind and the air was filled with chemicals. The next thing I knew, I was waking up to you."

The anger was evident in the way it laced his voice was he spoke. Uchiha Itachi – _the_ Uchiha Itachi – knocked out with a simple chemical compound. Poisonous gas, perhaps. Some secret bloodline limit, maybe. But a minor drug?

"Was it a stranger?" he asked, hoping Itachi was not too angry to continue. He needed to know. He needed to figure out because he couldn't himself.

"It was someone I would never have suspected."

Naruto understood when to change the subject. He had never been quite good at it, often intruding upon sensitive matters. But he had Itachi at his hands, molded _just right._ If he asked for the name, Itachi would become suspicious. Herbalists from little villages did not recognize names of murderous ninja. So he looked away for a while to think of something else to speak of. He had never had to think about it before. Conversation used to come naturally. However, there he sat, in front of Uchiha Itachi. He was having a conversation with Uchiha Itachi. Naturalness disappeared the second they had exchanged their first words.

"Ryo, I don't . . . I don't feel so good," he said instead and was only partially lying.

Itachi nodded in understanding and stood unsteadily without support, his hands groping blindly to help Naruto up. Naruto looked up at him incredulously instead. Itachi was helping him. He was helping him up with his one good hand under his bicep, leading him to the tent with a limp in his step, placing the blanket over him.

Naruto wanted to vomit again.

Pretending to be sick would give him time to think. It would give him time to contemplate every conversation he had ever had.

Starting with "Taichi."

Itachi, however, nudged him with a canteen of water. "In case you are dehydrated."

Naruto did not say thank you.

Itachi had said his best memory was of his brother. He said he wanted to watch his brother grow up. Was that Murakami Ryo speaking? Or was this Uchiha Itachi, who had killed his family, his best friend, his aunts and uncles and grandparents, who had left his brother psychologically damaged and –

 _Who had left his brother._

Had killed everyone _but his brother._

Naruto suddenly felt sick to his stomach and was sure he would have vomited if he hadn't already emptied everything he'd eaten on the floor moments ago. His throat felt raw. Itachi had said he was dead. Dead, dead, dead, Sasuke was dead to him. That son of a . . . Of course, he thought, it could have been part of the ploy. A simple attempt to build up a new younger brother, that so-called _Taichi_ , and Naruto knew he was meant to believe it without hesitation if he was a simple herbalist.

Itachi needed to show some emotion so Naruto would not believe his fashioned stories. He tried to play off the sincerity he remembered in Itachi's voice. Everything he said was a lie. It had to be. Itachi was not allowed to have emotions. Itachi was not allowed to care about his family. He had _killed_ them, for goodness sake! Had sent his brother into endless psychological torture! Itachi's definition of "care" was sick and twisted.

No, Naruto concluded. It was only a fabrication of an alternate reality. Itachi was trying to show he was someone else. No one would suspect _this_ version of Itachi, this Murakami Ryo, as being the murderer he really was.

Yet a stabbing feeling in Naruto remembered everything Itachi had done for him. Had remembered the man falling asleep like some lost child, remembered him play the leaf, remembered him smirk and laugh and _who was Uchiha Itachi?_ Master of closed doors and taciturn composure? Locked up so tight without a key to open him?

Or simply a man with human emotions?

He closed his eyes.

Upon opening them again, he found the sun had gone down and there was a distant _click . . . click . . ._ just outside his tent. He had fallen unconscious. Cursing lightly (and vaguely surprised he was not dead with his throat spurting his blood because Itachi had decided to slice it), he sat up and felt something fall into his lap. A damp cloth. His shirt was missing and the blanket that had covered him was now pooled at his waist.

"I – Ryo?"

His heart began racing immediately because he been seconds away from saying _Itachi._

When he received no reply, he managed to crawl out of the tent to find Itachi hunched over a pile of dead leaves and twigs, a smooth rock in his good hand. He was attempting to make a fire with one hand.

Itachi coughed suddenly, violently. His body lurched forward and his hand dropped the rock to bring it to his mouth. Naruto watched him hold the hand away from his face, fingers rubbing his palm and then against himself as if he was inspecting something. In the darkness, Naruto could not see what.

The Uchiha brought his attention back to the rocks he was attempting to spark. The other rock was on the floor and he swiped the rock in his hand against it. With a muffled curse, he dropped the rock and brought two of his fingers to his mouth.

Naruto smirked.

Itachi had cut himself.

 _So much for Mr. Perfect._

"Ryo?"

Itachi turned in his direction, fingers still in his mouth. "Sho," he supplied when he took them out. His voice was hoarse and raspy. "You have a fever. You should get some rest. I will make food."

"You can barely start a fire. I don't need something hot. We can just eat the last of the vegetables we have. My village isn't too far away."

Naruto staggered forward, almost collapsing to the floor. Itachi sensed the irregular movement and lifted himself up using his crutch so that he could reach where he assumed Naruto was. "You need to rest, Sho."

"You do, too."

He could not see Itachi's smirk of amusement in the dark as the man reached down in a poor attempt to help him up. "Well then, let us get some rest, shall we?"

Naruto let himself be led to the tent by a half-naked, broken, bruised, shaven, blind Uchiha Itachi.

They settled (uncomfortably) in the one-man tent, Naruto on his side and Itachi on his back. In silence. In the dark. Half-naked.

As if Naruto didn't think things were surreal enough.

"You're bleeding," he said to break the silence when he looked at where Itachi had rested his hand on his naked chest. The three fingers he had cut were leaking blood onto his skin.

Itachi waved him off. "You should eat something before you die of malnutrition."

It was his turn to wave the man off. "Don't worry about me." He did not catch what Itachi told him after that. He was far too concerned, too confused, too aghast at what he had said.

Don't worry.

Don't worry, Uchiha Itachi.

Don't worry about me, you heartless murderer. You backstabbing bastard. You life-ruining, sick and twisted, shaven, bruised, bloody, broken, naked monster.

Don't worry.

If Itachi had not been conscious, Naruto would have laughed so hard tears would have come to his eyes and he would have doubled over in pain. Because Uchiha Itachi worrying about someone else other than his own well-being was unfathomable.

Tension was growing. Naruto could feel it hanging in the air. Itachi could feel it pulling at his skin. He decided to break the silence. He vaguely wondered what it would be like to suddenly remember everything.

"You said your friend could heal my eyes?"

"I did."

"Now that you remember, tell me about her. What makes her worth protecting?"

Naruto turned his head to stare at Itachi for a long while. The "friend" had been Sakura. He had lied about what she could do, but based the persona off of her own. Naruto would not freely speak of her without receiving information in return.

"Only if you tell me about Taichi."

Only if he told him about Sasuke.

Itachi hesitated and then complied. Naruto wondered if he would tell the truth.

"She's like my sister. I don't have real siblings, but she's definitely the closest thing. Except, if you promise not to tell her when you meet her, I think I'm in love with her."

He was surprised at his openness, to a certain extent. On one hand, he knew Itachi would never tell Sakura. He would never even have the pleasure of meeting her because the second he stepped into Konoha, he would be immobilized and locked away. On the other hand, he was still somewhat a stranger. Telling someone his bottled up feelings was not uncharacteristic of him, and it was somewhat therapeutic at the same time.

Even if it was Uchiha Itachi.

"I thought you said she was like your sister?"

"Well, yes. She's kind of like my best friend _and_ my sister."

". . . Then is that not incestuous?"

"Oi! No, I didn't – I don't mean – that's _nasty_ – I said that so I could relate to you! That's just sick."

"So she is not like a sister?"

"Stop confusing me."

"You are the confusing one, Sho." Yet the trace of amusement was back.

"And you're annoying."

Itachi chuckled – chuckled, _chuckled,_ and Naruto didn't even know he could. "So she can heal my eyes?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"I have nothing more to lose."

 _Thud_. Naruto's heart fell to his stomach at the truth of the words. Nothing more to lose. How right he was. Naruto wondered what life in the Akatsuki must be like. It was not like living in a village, where there were people to interact with every day, stores to buy things from, bars to socialize at, school to attend. It was a life of wandering alone. He wondered if that was all that Itachi did: wander alone.

Without his sight, Uchiha Itachi was simply Itachi.

"You said you'd tell me about Taichi," he said after a while of silence.

Itachi opened his mouth to speak.

Suddenly Naruto was dry-retching.

With nothing left in his stomach, he could only let strings of acid dribble past his lips and he rolled onto his knees and hunched over. Itachi reached out to pat Naruto's back with his bleeding hand; his fingers left tiny prints of blood as they massaged Naruto's back.

Still on his knees, Naruto felt Itachi's hand leave his back and the comfort of a blanket replace it. Itachi's hand was back, separated from his skin by the black cotton, willing Naruto to turn to sleep on his back. Naruto was shivering.

"You need to drink something, Sho," he said, and Naruto almost gagged again simply at the tone of Itachi's voice. That gentle tone. That sincere tone. That tone that was not one of a murderer but one of a father, a brother, a friend.

Naruto did not drink anything and instead fell into a fitful sleep.

He woke up to darkness. Again. At first he thought he had only been asleep for a few hours until Itachi said from in front of him, "You have been asleep for a day, Ken. You need to drink something."

Oh how their roles had switched.

"How . . .?" he tried to ask how he knew he was awake, but his throat was raw.

"Your breathing pattern broke."

Oh.

"You could've left," Naruto said and he opened his eyes to stare at a too-pale Uchiha Itachi.

"Yet I did not." His voice sounded amused.

"Why not?"

"Eat something, Sho."

So Naruto took the warm bowl of soup and noodles from him and ate it.

"You haven't slept."

Itachi hummed in response.

"I feel much better now, Ryo. You should sleep." He did not even bother thinking he was indirectly telling Uchiha Itachi to rest and heal. "You look terrible."

"We have just narrowly escaped a dark villain, Sho. I believe we have the rights to look terrible."

 _Did Uchiha Itachi just make a joke?_

"Seriously, Ryo."

Hum.

The two spent the rest of the night in a comfortable (comfortable?) silence. It left Naruto with a plan. He would bring Itachi close to Konoha's borders – not too close so that his dying chakra could be detected, but not too far so that he could not be saved if he was in any sort of danger – and would leave him there as he ran into the village.

He would go to Kakashi (and he prayed the man was not off on a mission and would be there for him, like he always was). Of all people, Kakashi would understand. Kakashi would not ask too many questions. Kakashi was logical and reasonable and tactical.

Most of all, Kakashi would know what to do next.

The silence soon became unbearable for Naruto, the comfort that had once blanketed the air now gone. He sat back, stomach content, and rested on hands beneath his head. "That friend I told you about?" he started, not entirely sure Itachi was still listening but fishing for conversation nonetheless. "The one that's going to heal your eyes? I love her but I've got other close friends. None of them come _that_ close, but it's a great feeling when you have people you can rely on."

". . . There is just something about you, Hitoshi," came Itachi's voice.

Itachi's tone had been contemplative, not attempting to decipher Naruto's personality, simply – dare he say it? – admiring it to a certain extent. Amused by it. Contemplating its nature.

Naruto attempted to take it as a compliment.

"I wish I had a real sibling," he finally said. "My parents died when I was really young."

The phrase was supposed to be the last exchange of words between them before Naruto drifted off into slumber and Itachi stayed awake for the whole night, unable to sleep. Several moments later, however, - so far after the conversation had seemingly ended that Naruto thought Itachi was asleep – came a final whispered sentence,

"Mine did, too."

* * *

Naruto fell into a fitful sleep. When Itachi awoke in the middle of the night, he pretended to be asleep as he heard him crawl slowly from the tent, easing Naruto further into the empty space he left so that the shaven blond would have more room. Naruto watched him from one half-opened eye as the man propped himself up against the base of a large tree trunk.

In and out of sleep he went. Whenever he awoke, he would drive himself into a panic thinking about his current predicament. He would turn to look at where Itachi sat in the darkness and stare at the man who was leaning (far too heavily) against a tree, playing with a twig like it was the most interesting thing in the world or testing different leaves against his lips. Or he would listen to the sincerity in his voice when he asked Naruto if he was all right. And a conflict of emotions would bubble in his stomach not unlike the Kyuubi's chakra that did the same and he would try to vomit and fail.

Later, Naruto could not sleep any longer and so he stood up to beckon Itachi into the tent but the man was sleeping against the tree he was leaning against, the leaf he had been playing with by his limp hand, and Naruto did not think _I could kill him, I could kill him, I could kill him_. He simply doused the fire, spread the blanket over Itachi's figure ( _you fool, what are you doing?!)_ , and crawled back into the tent.

In the morning, Naruto figured out Itachi had not been sleeping.

He had figured it out when he called his (fake) name, moved closer to the body, and found the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. After much calling of his name and shaking of his shoulders to no avail, he panicked a little. He dragged Itachi's body from the tree to the tent and laid him out as best he could.

"Come on, Ryo," he pleaded as he dribbled the last of the water from the canteen over Itachi's face. Uchiha Itachi could not die. Naruto needed him so Sasuke would come home. "We're almost there. You can finally have your eyes healed. I promise you won't be in any danger, just stay with me."

That time, he did not think to gag at his own words.

He stopped minutes later when Itachi was still unresponsive but breathing. He would just wait it out, he thought. He would sit in that tent and wait and if he needed to, he would drag Itachi back with a thousand clones. But he would wait. So he sat beneath the tree Itachi had been in moments before and he waited.

Suddenly, there was a flare of chakra.

Naruto was accustomed to picking up on obvious chakra signals. He whipped his head to the side, something about the chakra raising the blond hairs on his arms and the back of his neck. The approaching person was not trying to mask his presence and so he was either an amateur ninja or someone who wanted to be known. The familiarity of the chakra wrenched at Naruto's heartstrings.

No, he thought, and _vroom vroom_ went his heart. No, no, it wasn't supposed to happen like this. It was supposed to happen, but not like this. It was too soon. He hadn't prepared his explanations. He hadn't thought of what he wanted to say.

The flare of chakra was right above him. Naruto unconsciously took a step back, wide sapphire eyes trained on the tops of the trees. The approaching figure jumped down in front of him with feline grace.

"Naruto."

Kakashi.


	6. Of Home and Hearts

**Author's Note:** I'd really like to thank all of my reviewers for the time you've put into reading and reviewing this story! You really encourage me to continue to write and post every week. I'd like to ask if you could please leave reviews of constructive criticism about the story itself! I'd really like to know what I'm doing wrong (or right) so I can continue to improve and deliver.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

… **:::Of Home and Hearts:::…**

* * *

"If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise." - Robert Fritz

* * *

There stood his sensei for the first time Naruto had seen him in weeks. He looked weary, his silver hair drooping ever-so-slightly, hands in his pockets and weight shifted to a single foot. His usual countenance. His visible eye, however, was open wide in disbelief.

"Naruto, your hair . . ."

"Kakashi-sensei, I can explain."

"I'd just returned from my mission when Sakura told me you were supposed to be home days ago," he said. Normal. Their conversation was normal, as if Naruto was not harboring an S-rank criminal in his tent. Not like the conversations he had had with Itachi.

Sensei-student.

Normal.

Naruto could see the bandages crawling up Kakashi's neck from beneath his Jounin vest. He took another step back, heart racing too fast too fast too fast too fast. He was becoming far too dizzy, the aftereffects of the fever he had had crawling back up to meet him.

"So I took it upon myself to find you. What _happened_ to you?"

"Kakashi-sensei," he pleaded in a whisper, motioning with his hands to keep his voice down. "Kakashi-sensei, please. Please, you've got to understand."

Kakashi raised a single eyebrow in perplexity. "Are you all right, Naruto?"

When Naruto took another step back and his knees buckled, Kakashi ran forward just in time to catch his student under the arms. He pulled Naruto closer and linked his own hands around the boy's body so he could neither fall nor run away.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Naruto shook his head and tried to continue. He weakly pushed at his sensei's body in an attempt to distance themselves from the tent. "You were the first person I was going to come to, but I was supposed to be prepared." His words were beginning to slur together in his haste. His eyes kept shifting to the tent that harbored what had once been one of the most notorious criminals known to Konoha. "You need to understand, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi followed his line of sight, noticing the shifts in Naruto's glance. There was a spark of chakra behind the flaps; it was weak and barely visible, but it was there. There was another person with Naruto that Kakashi could not identify. He made a move to find out himself, dragging Naruto in tow, when Naruto suddenly latched onto his arm.

"Who is in the tent, Naruto?" he asked seriously. "The person is barely alive. He doesn't have much time, and if he is a friend –"

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto breathed in deeply. Closed his eyes. Opened them again. Stared his mentor hard in the eye. "That's Uchiha Itachi."

Silence.

Kakashi prided himself in his intelligence. He thought he was capable of solving a typical puzzle in less time than the average ninja. He thought that heck, maybe because he had been ANBU leader for a while, there was something about his tactical skill that made him capable of leading. It still took him a few moments of silence – tension thick in the air – to register what Naruto had told him, and even then, it did not make sense.

". . . You have Uchiha Itachi . . . in your tent . . . dying?"

"Well, when you say it like that . . .!" Naruto paused and pushed himself away from Kakashi, attempting to gather the words he needed. None came. What would he say? _Yes, I met Itachi when I had no idea who I was and we journeyed together in search of shelter like best friends. Please don't kill him because somehow I plan on having him lure Sasuke here and we can get all chummy just like old times now that I've got his brother hostage (and it's not because I have sentimental feelings for him, he's a murderer)._

"Can I see him?"

"No!"

Naruto had said it with more force than he would have liked. He muttered a quick apology and pushed Kakashi deeper into the forest in case Itachi should awaken.

"Kakashi-sensei, he's blind." He paused to let the information sink in. Kakashi gave him a calculating look, expression one of utter seriousness. "We were both kidnapped –"

"Kidnapped?"

"And experimented on and the Kyuubi was tampered with so it wouldn't heal me and I had amnesia for a while so I didn't know who he was –"

Kakashi placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "Calm down, Naruto. You look like you're about to pass out. Explain it to me in time. More importantly, are you all right now? Any major injuries?"

Naruto shook his head but hastened to say, "My name is Hitoshi Sho and I'm an herbalist from a small village. He doesn't know I'm a ninja. He can't recognize me and apparently, I can't recognize him. He introduced himself as Murakami Ryo."

"How'd you get him to come back with you?"

Naruto frowned. "That's going to take a while to explain. Now, though, he thinks we're returning to my village so he can have his eyes healed."

Kakashi's lips pursed into a tight line beneath his mask. He eyed the flap of the tent warily.

"I've been with him for over three weeks now."

"So what's your plan?"

Naruto bit his lips. "I was going to bring him closer to Konoha and then run in to get you." He smiled sheepishly. "I was kind of hoping you'd have a plan."

"Naruto." Kakashi looked him in the eyes. "He's going to be executed."

Panic flared inside of the blond as he cried, "You can't do that!"

 _I need him to bring Sasuke home!_ one part cried.

 _He can't die!_ the shyer part admitted.

Kakashi stared at him strangely, attempting to decipher what the blond meant by the outburst. "The second he's through Konoha's gates, he is a dead man."

"Kakashi-sensei, he can't even speak properly, let alone fight for his life! You wouldn't kill an injured man." A pause, then, "I don't know who or what attacked me. He's the only one who does. And besides, Granny's going to need to interrogate him. He's bound to know information about Akatsuki."

"Naruto," slowly, slowly, Kakashi treated Naruto like he would run away any second, "why do you really want Itachi alive?"

Naruto stared back at the tent flap and whispered, "Sasuke might actually come home if he knows Itachi's there."

"And?"

"And what?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I want Sasuke to come home."

Kakashi hummed.

He paused for a moment, his lips twitching, not wanting to ask Naruto anymore questions because he looked ready to faint, but needing to know more information before they could continue. "Can he sense chakra? Is there any way to control when he is conscious and when he is not? How far did you tell him until you would reach your so-called village?"

Naruto tried to answer as best he could. "He can't sense chakra or he would've figured out who I was by now; he mentioned something about his senses being tampered with and being too weak. No, there isn't. And I didn't set any date."

Kakashi suddenly had a plan.

Naruto turned back to the tent to begin packing, his stomach flopping wildly with emotions he did not want to think about so he could focus on Kakashi's plan. He pushed open the flap of the tent and knelt beside the sable-haired man who had yet to move or regain consciousness.

"Ryo," he whispered, knowing Kakashi was watching him closely. "Ryo, you've been asleep for days," he lied. "You're getting worse. We're near my village. My uncle found us and he's here right now to help."

Itachi groaned softly in the back of his throat. Naruto had not lied about the fact that Itachi's condition was worsening. His skin was sallower, eyes sunken, breath too shallow for sufficient air to his lungs.

Kakashi was suddenly ducked beside him in the tent that was already unbelievably small. His eye widened at the sight in front of him. Nearly naked, obviously terribly injured, bruised, shaven, shaking and sweating Uchiha Itachi. "When Sho told me he had an injured comrade, I didn't expect him to be so injured." Naruto rolled his eyes and would have laughed at the sudden nasal drawl Kakashi had taken on. Of all accents . . .

Kakashi bent closer to lay a hand on Itachi's bare chest and clucked his tongue. He tested for any signs of recognition from the Uchiha, but none came. Naruto had been right; something had tampered with Itachi's senses. "Oh dear, oh dear."

"Sho," Itachi rasped weakly. His good hand attempted to swat at Kakashi's as his neck craned, sightless eyes looking for Naruto. "Sho."

"Now hold still, son, no need to agitate those ribs of yours."

"Do not _touch_ me! Sho!"

Anger. Naruto's surprise was real. It was the first hint of powerful emotion, the first full blast of anger Naruto had ever seen in the man. Itachi snarled and jerked away from Kakashi's hands.

 _"Ken, it frightens me more than you could know."_

"Uncle," Naruto warned as his heart raced and his mind chanted _Uchiha Itachi is afraid Uchiha Itachi is afraid afraid afraid afraid_. "Just help me move him. I've already had a medic inspect him. We'll need to get him back to the village."

Kakashi watched the way Naruto placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder to calm him down and suddenly understood. He nodded his head despite knowing Itachi could not see him.

"Well, let's get to it then," he said in his drawling accent. "But I'm warning you that you're going to have to convince him to let me carry him, since he trusts you so much."

Trust.

Uchiha Itachi trusted Naruto.

No, Kakashi thought. Uchiha Itachi trusted Hitoshi Sho. He did not object to Kakashi's words.

Naruto frowned. "Ryo, I'm going to stay with you, okay? But I'm too weak to carry you and there's no other way we can get you back to the village in my uncle doesn't carry you. Okay? I'll be right next to you, okay?"

Itachi gulped with difficulty and took his time nodding his head. Kakashi gingerly lifted Itachi from the tent with a warning and staggered slightly having overestimated the man's weight ( _he's a lot lighter than I thought he was)._ Naruto began to shove what he could into their plastic bags, rolling the tent in it when Kakashi had removed Itachi completely. The no-longer-sable-haired head lolled limply when unsupported by the ground, lifeless hands dangling in the air and legs swaying from side-to-side in Kakashi's arms.

"Ryo?" Naruto called to him, looking for any signs of breathing. "Ryo?"

"I . . ." was all he heard in a breathy whisper.

Kakashi and Naruto did not exchange any words until they were deep into the forest, Itachi barely breathing. Naruto's knees had buckled for the umpteenth time but rather than catching himself, the had-been blond fell, hands splayed in front of him in an attempt to balance his body against the ground that seemed to be slanting.

"Sho!" came Kakashi's worried voice, and in the haze of his mind Naruto mentally applauded him for sticking in character. He could hear the man calling out to him but the ground had already come up to meet him.

* * *

Naruto awoke to Kakashi shaking him none-too-gently.

"Naruto," came his urgent whisper. "Naruto, wake up, you need to go to Tsunade or else she will send someone to come look for you, and that spells bad news for our house guest. Kotetsu and Izumo found us at the gate."

At that, Naruto suddenly sat upright. He regretted the action immediately as his back cricked painfully. He found himself in an unfamiliar bedroom and looked at Kakashi in question.

"My house," Kakashi offered. "Until we settle down and negotiate a plan further. Least likely place to suspect that we are harboring a criminal."

Naruto realized he was seated upon Kakashi's bed in his small, quaint bedroom. Itachi was missing.

"Where is he? Why didn't they do anything when they spotted him at the gate?"

Kakashi urged Naruto to get off of the bed so he could continue moving. Naruto complied, mostly because he could tell his sensei was unusually agitated. There was a hint of suppressed aggression in his voice. "He's in the extra room, out cold. I couldn't exactly sneak him in through the front gate, Naruto. I left you hidden outside the gates and snuck past the border patrol on the perimeter of the fence by my house."

Naruto could tell the idea of having to do something illegal for an already illegal criminal bothered Kakashi greatly. He worried his sensei was reconsidering keeping Itachi. He wondered why Kakashi had agreed to entertain his insanity in the first place.

"I came back to get you and carry you through the gates. Kotetsu and Izumo were surprised when they saw your hair. Thankfully you look uninjured." He let out a ragged sigh and Naruto was suddenly aware of the dark circles that had been beneath Kakashi's eyes and the way his body slumped tiredly. "I told them you'd been too embarrassed about accidentally burning your hair off so I'd had to come drag you back. Now that they're alerted of your presence, however, they're bound to tell Tsunade you're back so you _have to go now_ , Naruto."

He laughed inwardly at how believable Kakashi's excuse had been. Naruto allowed Kakashi to lead him through the unfamiliar house, quickly glancing around the simple décor and catching sight of the closed door he assumed Itachi was behind.

"What if he wakes up?"

Kakashi remembered the way Itachi had asked for Naruto's presence. "I'll deal. You just need to report in. Try and come up with your excuse on the way, yeah? I trust you."

He closed the door behind an uneasy Naruto and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

He dared to venture to check up on Itachi and found himself knocking on the door beforehand but not quite expecting an answer. Itachi was already sitting up, the ointment that Kakashi had applied across his eyes already absorbed into his skin. Without his hair, Kakashi barely recognized the man who had once been his partner. He looked like a grisly shadow of his former self, bones jutting out and skin marred with contusions and welts.

"You are Sho's uncle?" Itachi asked curtly after hearing the door open, clearly none-too-pleased to be left alone in Kakashi's presence.

"That I am," Kakashi replied in his nasal accent. He leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed. He was trying too hard to push away the memories he had of the man, both fond and fearsome. Years of ANBU missions together, of watching the Uchiha grow up to become a formidable ally. He wondered if the good memories had been the reason he had gone through the effort to bring him into Konoha illegally - and wondered when the bad memories would return again to question his sanity. "Sho went to go get some more supplies for me until we can get you properly healed up –"

"Where am I?" Itachi interrupted. "What part of the country are we in?"

Kakashi chuckled for effect but took note of the way Itachi was already feeling around with his good hand to get a sense of his environment. Even on his deathbed, Itachi was trying to take in his surroundings in case he had to escape. A ninja for life, Kakashi thought. One who had mistakenly relied far too heavily on his now-blind eyes.

"We're a farming village, son," Kakashi finally replied. "We don't have a name like the fancy folks of bigger towns, but we call our home Little Fields on account of how our farmland is broken up." He deliberately ignored Itachi's second question in an attempt to steer the conversation away. "You hungry? Sho won't be back for a little and I'm going to whip up –"

Itachi was suddenly convulsing.

His sightless eyes had opened and Kakashi saw the brief flicker of the Sharingan in one eye before Itachi bent forward, coughing up flecks of blood right as his body began to shake. The Uchiha gasped for breath and fell back, hands useless at his sides.

Kakashi cursed beneath his breath and rushed forwards, tilting Itachi so he would not choke on his blood or his tongue until his convulsions died down. He knew Itachi had been trying to activate his Sharingan, probably attempting to read Kakashi's chakra signature. Someone had tampered dangerously with his eyes and Kakashi realized how right Naruto had originally been; Uchiha Itachi was too weak to be a danger to them.

At least for now.

For now, Kakashi thought as he eased the man back onto the pillows, he would allow Naruto to negotiate for Itachi's life.

* * *

Naruto knocked on the door of Kakashi's house, fuming. After Naruto blamed his disappearance on getting lost and the rain (which had not been wholly a lie), Tsunade had said his new hairstyle looked "like a shaved nutsack" that revealed his oddly-shaped head. He had called her an ugly old hag in return and was glad to have been kicked out of her tower. It was her fault in the first place for sending him on a faulty mission! Bah!

The door to Kakashi's house opened and he expected to see his sensei staring down at him. Hopefully Itachi hadn't been too much of a handful while he was away.

Instead, however, he was met with a flash of pink hair. Sakura was standing in the doorway, her hand shaking where it rested on the handle. She was staring at him with those emerald, emerald eyes, tear tracks staining her cheeks, and said,

"How _dare_ you bring him here?"


	7. Of Wrists and Trust

**Chapter 7**

… **:::Of Wrists and Trust:::…**

* * *

"In this world of memories, there's no need for strangers." – Watsuki Nobuhiro

* * *

Naruto was at a loss for words.

He was not supposed to be meeting people in ways he had not planned out. He had not been supposed to meet Kakashi in the forest, as he was not supposed to meet Sakura like this, in Kakashi's house, mouth gaping open for words to calm her yet heart hammering as the only thought in his mind was _What if Itachi heard that?_

"Relax, Naruto." Kakashi had always been the mind-reader. "Sakura put him to sleep."

"How did he react?"

"That's the first thing you think of?!" Sakura spat, aghast. "I haven't seen you for days and I'm worried sick about you and you come back with none other than _Uchiha Itachi_ and you're too busy thinking of his own welfare?! And my _goodness_ , Naruto, what happened to your _hair?_ What happened to _you?_ "

"Sakura –"

"Naruto, how _could_ you?"

"I can bring Sasuke back this way! Isn't that what you want?"

"You took care of an S-rank criminal!"

"Would you rather have had him die, Sakura? And had our last connection to Sasuke die with him?"

Sakura shook her head, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. "And what if you had died, Naruto? Then our last connection to Sasuke would have really died." She ran her fingers through her hair; Naruto was surprised to see they were still shaking. "You spent over three weeks with a man whose sole mission in life is to capture you and kill you. Imagine if he'd found out who you really were."

When Naruto spoke, he made sure his voice was softer, gentler. "You've seen him, Sakura. He can barely lift a finger. If he'd found out, there was nothing he would be able to do to me."

Sakura sighed and turned to Kakashi. "What do you have to say about this?"

A trademark shrug of the shoulders. "Nothing. Naruto's the leader."

The leader. The leader. Naruto sucked in a breath. This was now a mission and he was the leader. The fate of Uchiha Sasuke – and Uchiha-Murakami Itachi-Ryo – rested in his hands.

"We're not bringing him to Granny."

"Naruto!"

Kakashi merely hummed.

"She thinks Sasuke's a lost cause!" retorted Naruto. "She's going to lock Itachi up, extract whatever information she wants, and kill him the second she gets a chance!"

"What about your mission report? Kakashi told me you were kidnapped! You have to tell her!"

"She'll never know if I lie."

"Your life is in danger and you're going to lie to protect someone who could kill you?! And just _how_ do you plan on bringing Sasuke back?"

"We tell him we have his brother."

"Are you even vaguely aware of how insane you sound right about now?!"

To be honest, he wasn't. There were too many things going on in his mind. Too many little loopholes to tie together. Itachi came to have his eyes healed. If Naruto told him anything otherwise, he would figure out something was off. If Naruto had his eyes healed, he would open them and be in for the shock of his life.

Frankly, Naruto wasn't even sure Sakura _could_ heal his eyes.

If they kept Itachi the way he was, he would die. If they kept Itachi alive by healing his injuries, he would be able to sense their chakra and would know in an instant Uzumaki Naruto was not Hitoshi Sho.

Either way, they were at a dead end.

From the way Kakashi was stepping back and giving no input, he knew his sensei understood the futility of the plan as well.

"He knows so much, Kakashi-sensei," he said, turning to his mentor in defeat and searching for any advice. "He's told me so much and he can tell me so much more. About himself. About Sasuke."

"What did he say about Sasuke?" Sakura's eyes were widened slightly, curious, fearful of the information Naruto could tell her.

"He could be lying," Kakashi warned.

"If you were there, you would know he wasn't lying." Naruto turned to Sakura. "There's something Sasuke doesn't know. Something Itachi's not telling wholly. He doesn't hate Sasuke."

"Naruto." Another warning.

"It's true!" Naruto turned his sapphire eyes to his sensei. "You had to have been there, Kakashi! He'd mention him every once in a while and you could just _feel_ it! Imagine the things we could get him to say!"

Sakura rounded on him. "Do you understand what we're supposed to do with people like him? Report him. Immediately. If things had been any different, if he had been even remotely conscious, an entire squadron of ANBU would be at his neck in an instant to immobilize him."

Naruto looked at Itachi – sleeping, unaware, ( _different, so different)_ Itachi – and tried to imagine him struggling against ANBU in his current state.

"He'd be locked up, chakra restraints practically over his whole body, a blindfold over his eyes even if they know he can't see. And it wouldn't just be Tsunade deciding his fate. The Elders, with such a matter, are going to want a piece of him. And once they get their information, his execution will become the public affair of the decade. Naruto," she continued carefully, "By associating with him, we'll also be criminals. Do you honestly believe what you're doing is worth what you want to achieve?"

"He's injured, Sakura." Naruto switched from her, to Kakashi, to her again. "We have the upper hand. He trusts me and doesn't suspect a thing. No one suspects a thing. We have to take this to our advantage! Kakashi-sensei?" he looked to his mentor, hoping the man had one final lesson in him.

Kakashi pressed the heel of his right hand to his eye. He sighed. He sighed again. And again.

"Naruto," he finally said after yet another weary exhale. "You're going to be the death of me."

Naruto grinned. "So we can keep him?" he exclaimed, entirely aware that he sounded like a little boy begging his parents to let him keep a puppy he had found on the streets.

"Kakashi-sensei, you can't be serious!"

"You are going to be so deep in my debt, I'm never going to pay for your ramen again."

Naruto let out a whoop of joy, but before he could move into a quick dance of giddiness, Kakashi stopped him with a stern grip of his shoulder.

"Two days, Naruto," he warned in utter seriousness so that the blond stopped and mimicked his countenance. "I'm going to give you two days to extract something valuable from him. If you do, I won't tell Tsunade and we can carry on with this utterly insane plan of yours for another five days. If not, I'm sorry."

"I'll have something out of him in two hours!" Naruto grinned confidently.

Kakashi shook his head in defeat, his mind still buzzing with unanswered questions. Sakura turned to her sensei.

"You're going to let him stay in your house?"

"I doubt your parents are going to be fond of you bringing him home for dinner." Kakashi laughed to humor himself, imagining Itachi in a suit and tie (which, and he cringed at its disturbing simplicity, he found was rather easy to do), arm entwined with Sakura's, eating at the dinner table. "And Naruto's apartment is too small and too obviously scented with him for Itachi not to realize there is something off. My house is the least likely to be searched in case Tsunade does suspect something. I've also got the space."

Sakura rubbed a hand over her face, equally defeated. "The things we do for you, Naruto."

"You know you love me," was the cheeky reply.

"Don't be delusional." But she smiled and swatted at his once head of flax. "So, leader, fill us in on everything. And give us our orders before I wake him up."

Naruto grinned at the title. Leader. Yeah. He liked the sound of that.

They sat down in Kakashi's quaint living room, Naruto nestled in a cushy loveseat by Sakura as he went over the three weeks of his adventure with Uchiha Itachi. Sakura gasped at all the appropriate times, taking his arm gently in her hands at one point to graze over the tattooed numbers he had acquired from his time in the cells; she promised to remove them when she next saw him. Kakashi listened intently, asking Naruto to write his memories down before they drifted away from him eventually.

"My name is Hitoshi Sho," Naruto finished and looked to Kakashi. "You're my uncle from my dad's side, Hitoshi . . ." He paused, attempting to think of a name.

Kakashi raised his hand as if in greeting and smiled his typical eye-curving twitch of his lips. "Yo! I'm Hitoshi Mikio."

". . . Tree trunk man?" questioned Sakura, knowing the meaning of the name.

Kakashi winked at her. "Like scarecrow."

"Change it to Michio," said Naruto. "We can't have him making the slightest connections."

"Hitoshi Michio it is."

Naruto nodded. "We're part of a small, unnamed village that bases itself on a medicinal business. We bring medicine to neighboring countries and treat shinobi who pass by. We, however, are _not_ ninja. So Sakura," he turned to her apologetically. "We're going to have to treat him the old-fashioned way."

"Good," she concluded with an adamant nod of her head. "At least he'll be injured for quite a while."

"Actually, we common folk call our unnamed village Little Fields, because of how we section our farmland," Kakashi supplemented. At Naruto's questioning glance, he said, "We exchanged some pleasantries and he failed to activate his Sharingan while you were gone."

Naruto rolled his eyes, then turned to Sakura. "You're Yuriko, by the way." He grinned sheepishly at her. "Like the flower."

Sakura was surprised. "You've told him about me?"

"Well, yes . . . I had to – well – of course I did!" he stammered. "You're the reason he came in the first place! I said you could heal his eyes."

"Naruto . . ." She looked at the closed door of Itachi's room, remembering the scars that she'd seen around his eyes. "The damage done to them . . . I'm not even sure if I can _heal_ the blind, let alone what's happened to his eyes."

"But you have to try, Sakura."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You want him to see again?"

 _Yes! No. Wait._ "If he doesn't begin to feel the slightest difference, he'll figure out we're scamming him."

"And how do you expect me to even make the slightest bit of progress if I can't use my chakra?"

Well, now.

Naruto hadn't thought of that. He looked to Kakashi for facilitation. Kakashi shrugged. So much for being his sensei . . .

"How much information did you reveal about Yuriko?" he asked, and Naruto thought he would redeem himself as his sensei.

"Just her relationship to me, and that she would be able to heal his eyes."

"Did you say where she was from?"

". . . I think he'd just assume she was from the same village."

"Not anymore." Kakashi looked at Sakura, as if sizing her up. "She is Yuriko, abandoned six years ago. With no place to go, she wandered alone for a while until she came to our little village, where Shibutani Akira took her in and taught her the power to heal before passing away. She's been our medical expert in his stead ever since."

There was a silence that passed over the room. Kakashi stood there, looking rather content with the story he had fabricated in seconds, completely oblivious to the incredulous stares being sent his way from Sakura, whose mouth was open slightly in bewilderment, and Naruto, whose face held mild disgust.

"Please tell me that's not a watered-down version of some perverted story from your porn novels," he said.

Kakashi looked to the ceiling.

Naruto sighed, having no other choice. "Okay," he said. "We'll go with that. He won't be able to sense your chakra anyway. And he's not the talkative type, so he won't ask too many questions."

"So we've got our identities down. What do we tell him about his living conditions?"

"It'll take a while for him to heal and that my uncle, _you_ ," he looked to Kakashi, "offered him a place to stay. Sakura will be coming in and out to heal him. He can't leave his room – he's way too injured for that – but I'll be here to keep him company. . . . I kind of have to live here."

If Kakashi dreaded the upcoming living situations or had any such feelings, he gave no obvious indications.

"Right. Anything else, Captain?" he asked instead. He stood to walk to Itachi's door. "I believe it's about time for our patient to stir."

"Nothing for now."

Kakashi knocked softly on the door and heard the Uchiha groan softly in the back of his throat.

"You boys look far too thin," Kakashi said in his Michio drawl, loud enough for Itachi to hear. "I'm going to whip up some dinner. Yuriko, be a dear and tend to the man, will you?"

"Yes, Uncle," Sakura said in a voice that was too flowery to be her own. Naruto grinned. Perfect.

Naruto leaned over Itachi. The bruises around his eyes were fading from their yellowish greens to a simple tan against his ivory complexion. "Ryo?" he whispered. He did not notice the fleeting look of surprise that crossed Sakura's face at the use of his first name. "Hey, come on. Yuriko's here. Remember her? She's going to take care of some of your wounds."

"Sho?" Itachi breathed out, his lips barely moving to form the name.

"He's getting worse," Naruto said as he turned to Sakura. "I think some of his wounds got infected a while back, but you know how useless I am at this."

Sakura shot him a strained smile. "Here, let me." She neared Itachi, her breath suddenly leaving her at the surreal circumstances she stood in. Uchiha Itachi at her fingertips, injured, dying. She could squeeze the life from him in one move. His throat – bruised and marred by angry red lines – so thin, she could snap it. _Snap_. Like a twig. That would be the end to Sasuke's misery.

But then Sasuke would hate her for ending his years of vengeance for him, and then where would they be?

She lifted Itachi's shirt up, up, gathering it neatly at the man's collarbones. His chest was a collage of scars, bandages, and bruises; the bandages, when she pulled them away gently, revealed the ugly telltale welts of his struggle. Some of the bandages clung to newly-formed skin and dried blood so that she had to gently, gently (gently, gently? Gentle with Uchiha Itachi? Haruno Sakura, how dare you?) peel it away. It pulled at Itachi's skin and the sparse black hairs of his chest.

"Sho," Itachi groaned out, turned his head to the side and gritting his teeth.

"She's just taking off the bandages, Ryo," Naruto assured him.

"A knife wound?" Sakura asked, her fingers trailing over a slit above Itachi's pelvic bone. It shined angrily with dried blood and pus. She recognized it as a kunai wound, but little, innocent Yuriko did not. Itachi gritted his teeth when she pressed on it. "It's infected." Without warning, she began trickling her chakra into the wound.

Suddenly, suddenly, Itachi's unbroken hand shot out and grabbed onto her wrist. He jerked his body into a sitting position as best he could at the same time, blind eyes flying opening. Sakura gasped at both the bone-crushing grip he held her in and at the milky-white iris of his scarred left eye. It was not like a Hyuuga's eye, no, she thought. Itachi's eye, surrounded by agitated red veins, was far more ghastly.

"You are a ninja!" Itachi barked at her, bloodied mouth snarling. Sakura tried to yank her hand away to no avail.

"Ryo! Ryo, no, let go of her!" Naruto yelled frantically. He put himself between Sakura and Itachi, his hands scrambling to release his grasp. Sakura's fingers were turning an odd shade of purple.

"You did not say she was a ninja," Itachi snapped accusingly, hand still around Sakura's wrist, eyes still unwavering to where he assumed she stood.

Sakura stood, paralyzed in utter fear, transfixed upon the unfocused eyes of blind Uchiha Itachi and how, beneath normal circumstances, she would have been dead by that moment.

"She's _not_."

"Then explain the chakra she used!"

"She _trained_ under our best medical expert. Ryo –" and Naruto had to pause because he had been so close, so close to saying "Itachi" – "let go of her hand and I'll explain! You're going to break it!"

Itachi let go, albeit obviously reluctantly. He collapsed back to the bed, chest suddenly heaving, eyes closing, as if that sudden interrogation had been the equivalence of sprinting nonstop around the country. Sakura drew her hand closer to her to cradle it to her chest.

"I-I was born to a ninja family. In Iwagakure," Sakura said in her flowery voice, not entirely feigning the stutter. She noticed Kakashi standing protectively in the doorway with his Sharingan unmasked. "But they abandoned me. When I was six. I had nowhere else to go. I was lucky enough to find this village. An old man, rest his soul, took me in and taught me the basics to chakra-based medicine before he passed away."

"Shibutani Akira, rest his soul," Kakashi drawled from the doorway, nodding his head sagely, convincingly. "Great man. Yuriko's been our one and only medic ever since. She might not be able to defend herself well," and he looked pointedly at Sakura, telling her that he was obviously lying and that she defended herself far better than Kakashi ever could, "but she can heal so well she can practically bring the dead back to life."

Itachi was silent for a while and Naruto thought _he found out. He found out. We're in trouble. He doesn't believe us. We're going to die._ But after a moment's hesitation and tensioned silence, he leaned in closer to realize Itachi had fallen unconscious. Naruto's mouth twisted into a grimace.

Great.

"Are you okay?" he asked Sakura softly, holding her wrist gingerly in his fingers. They quickly left the room and closed the door behind them.

She smiled shakily at him. Pain shot up her arm from where she was sure if Itachi had squeezed harder, her wrist would have snapped. It was mottled with shades of red, Itachi's fingerprints prominent on her rosy complexion. "I'm fine," she said, releasing a long breath she didn't know she was holding.

"He's still pretty dangerous even if he's bordering death," Kakashi spoke up. "Sakura, only heal enough so that we don't wake up to find him dead, but don't heal him completely. We can blame it later on a lack of chakra control."

"Let me get some ice for that."

"Naruto, really." She smiled for him and flexed her wrist to prove her health; she was wincing and cringing on the inside and knew she would be leaving soon to wrap her wrist. "I'll heal his infection and make sure he'll survive long enough to see another day and then we can all get some rest, okay?"

Naruto silenced reluctantly and backed away to allow Sakura back into Itachi's room. The room was suddenly illuminated in a soft glow of green as her hands kneaded chakra into the slit by Itachi's pelvic bone, removing any trace of infectious bacteria and weaving the muscle and tissue together. The wound left nothing more than a faint line.

It took Naruto a while to realize Itachi was no longer shivering as violently as he had been.

Sakura turned him over – gently, gently (gently, gently?) – so that he was on his side having seen the bruises that only symbolized fractured or broken ribs that she would deal with later and not wanting him to lay on his stomach in case one should accidentally puncture a lung. Not that she cared. Really. The wounds on his back were worse and she wondered what Naruto had been doing out in the forest and how Itachi had survived for so long (from Naruto's later account, however, of Itachi's condition, she would realize what she had seen was the healed, much better version of the wounds they had been).

Her fingers brushed against a jagged wound that ran down the length of Itachi's spine. She raised her eyebrows at the precision; just enough to torture, but a hair's breadth from paralyzing damage. Whoever had beaten Itachi up had known what he – or she, or it – was doing.

There were two more infections to take care of: one of the lash wounds that had festered to life-risking degrees, and a stab wound to his thigh. Granted, she thought as sweat dripped its way to her chin, they were not the worst injuries, but they were the ones that could kill him overnight. She would leave the worst for another day, one where she wasn't so sick of his very sight.

Naruto covered Itachi instinctively with the blanket when she was done and led her from the room. Kakashi was plating a rather impressive-looking dinner, one Naruto did not think he was capable of, and setting it on the small dining table. They sat in silence. They ate in silence.

Kakashi reached across the table in a very fatherly manner and pulled gently on Sakura's wrist; it was bruised by then, Itachi's fingerprints sickeningly marring her skin in purplish blots. He stood – in silence, silence – and retrieved ice from the freezer, bandages from a kitchen drawer, and returned to wrap Sakura's wrist. In silence.

Itachi's presence was ominous even when he was asleep and on the brink of death.

* * *

Naruto woke up from the best sleep he'd had in ten days.

He stretched his arms in front of him, arching his back as he opened his mouth wide to let out a long, loud yawn. The floor had been somewhat comfortable, carpeted and reinforced by an old bedspread. Naruto had visited his apartment the other day to grab the essentials he needed, as he had no idea how long he would be living in Kakashi's house. Kakashi had offered him his bed or his couch, but Naruto had shook his head and said he would sleep on the floor in the guest room in case something happened to Itachi.

Surprisingly, Itachi did not cause a problem.

When Naruto woke up, Itachi was already awake, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. The man must have felt his presence for he turned his head in Naruto's direction and asked, very simply, "Would you mind if I used the bathroom?"

Naruto wondered how long the man had been sitting there, holding it in. He vaguely wondered if Itachi had gone at all, and was only beginning to be mildly aware of the stench both of them carried. He helped Itachi stand from the bed and positioned the man in the right direction – surely Itachi had too much pride and dignity to allow Naruto to lead him – before searching for Kakashi.

There was Kakashi, an empty plate of breakfast in front of him, a scroll in his hands, and a hawk perched curiously on his windowsill.

"Good morning," he practically sang as he snapped the scroll shut and turned his lazy eye towards Naruto. He was already dressed. "You've slept for quite a while."

"I feel great, though." Naruto plopped himself onto the smaller couch and stared blankly at the hawk. After a moment of silence, he said, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure to harbor a notorious criminal." At Naruto's pointed look, he sighed and put the scroll down. "However sketchy this whole situation is, it's my job as a sensei to trust my student's judgment. Just don't forget the terms and conditions."

"You don't think this is going to go horribly wrong?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It can't get any worse." He looked around. "Where is he?"

"Bathroom."

"Good. There are fresh towels in the bathroom cabinet. Tell him he needs to take a shower. And when he's done, _you_ need to take a shower." He picked up his plate, turning his nose into the air, and moved to the kitchen. "Breakfast's on the counter. I could mash it up if he can't eat solid food."

"I think he can stomach it," said Naruto.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of his statement when he heard Itachi emptying what little food he _had_ eaten into the toilet bowl.

"Ryo," Naruto called through the closed door of the bathroom. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

Not entirely convinced, Naruto stayed for several seconds. "My uncle says you should take a shower. There are clean towels in the cabinet. You can keep your sling on; it's waterproof."

Silence. Naruto waited until he heard of the turn of the shower faucet before he left.

Kakashi was gone.

Sakura was there.

"He needed to meet with Tsunade-sama," she said quietly. When Naruto's eyes widened, she continued, "Not for _him_. Sensei's been going on missions regularly, remember?"

"Right." He looked at her arm. "I thought it was just your wrist?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

She unraveled the bandage to reveal the mottled bruises that weaseled their way up her skin, ending just before her elbow, each one more gruesome than the next. Naruto's eyes widened and he held her arm gingerly in his hands.

"I thought . . . I saw him hold your wrist."

"Naruto, he's on the brink of death," she said in barely a whisper. She could hear the shower going. "He can barely walk. Can barely speak. But he can do this without batting an eyelash – and this is _after_ I took some time to heal it. It's too dangerous. I think we should tell Tsunade-sama."

"But –"

"Think about whose life is more important, Naruto. Yours? Or his?"

And all Naruto could think was _Sasuke's._

Itachi was out of the shower not moments later, dressed in the same clothing he had been in but looking slightly less pale as there was no longer dried blood contrasting against his complexion. He had taken his hand out of his sling and it was currently hanging uselessly by his side, spotted with fading dark mustard bruises like an overripe fruit.

"Murakami-san," Sakura said politely, pushing past Naruto and quickly rewrapping her arm. "How are you feeling today?"

Naruto watched him look in Sakura's direction, face emotionless. "How is your hand, Yuriko-san?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Then why do I hear you wrapping a bandage around it?"

Creepy.

Naruto stared at him, eyes slightly widened. Sakura's bandages hadn't been making a sound; how could he possibly have heard them? Sakura recovered from her shock quicker than Naruto and tucked the edge of the bandage securely into place. "It's really not too important. I see your fever has broken. I'd like to check on your legs. I can only do so much at a time."

Itachi turned so his eyes were looking over Sakura's shoulders. "Sho?"

"I'm here, Ryo."

So Itachi sat down on the bed and let Sakura poke and prod at his leg. Naruto watched curiously. The second Itachi had determined Naruto's presence, he had become cooperative. He frowned. If the Uchiha trusted him so much . . .

. . . He didn't dare think what would happen if Itachi ever found out.

"You can walk?"

Naruto heard the disbelief in Sakura's voice and snapped his attention back to reality. Sakura held Itachi's – ankle? It had swollen to such a degree Naruto could barely call it an ankle and _how had he not noticed it before?_ When Itachi nodded his head, Sakura said, "Your ankle is shattered. Can you even feel it?"

"Somewhat."

"Wiggle your toes."

He wiggled them.

"No pain?"

"Somewhat."

Sakura's hands lit up with the soft green they always did when she was letting off her own chakra. Itachi gritted his teeth slightly, loosely, barely noticeable in its passing moment. "You seem very confused about what to do with the bones you've broken," she whispered when she put two and two together.

There was a moment of silence as Sakura worked to mesh the marrow back together. Then,

"I have never broken a bone before."

 _Thud._

Naruto's heart seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

Never broken a bone. Perfect, perfect Uchiha Itachi. Naruto wondered how many times he had ever been scratched. How many times he had ever lost a battle. How many times Uchiha had even been _wounded_ , like he was now. Bruised. Stubbed a toe, even.

It frightened Naruto to think that this was the first time Uchiha Itachi had ever shed blood.

And it frightened Naruto to know that it frightened him.

"Oh," Sakura said, obviously disturbed by the new information. "Sho told me you're a ninja. You must be very skilled to never have broken a bone. I've treated ninja who died at my hands." It was not far from the truth.

"That is very unfortunate for you, Yuriko-san."

Sakura said nothing.

It took a while to mend the bone. Sakura finally stopped kneeling on her haunches and sat on the floor, hands still enveloping Itachi's ankle. Naruto offered breakfast and did not wait for a reply before he was piling food onto three plates.

Sakura, wiping the sweat from her brow, said she had already eaten. Itachi took the plate of food and chopsticks silently, attempting to discern the flavors from its scent.

"It's not shattered anymore," she said, somewhat breathless from the enduring process, "but I don't want you walking on it for a while. It's still tender."

Itachi, rather than saying something, placed his plate of food down on the bed beside him and reached out in front of him. Sakura looked confused. She turned to Naruto, but the blond simply shrugged and raised his eyebrows.

"Um, Murakami-san, Sho is that way." She grabbed his outstretched hand to guide it in Naruto's direction. Itachi, however, grabbed her hand. He released his fingers in favor of snaking his own up her arm, to her wrist, fingertips playing with the clean edges of the bandages around it.

"I did that," he whispered.

Sakura tried to pull her hand back. Itachi let her that time. "It's understandable, Murakami-san. Sho told me you did not take too kindly to him either when you first met."

"I was mistaken in my outburst. I apologize."

Sakura opened her mouth to gape at him. Naruto saw a familiar emotion flit across her emerald eyes: the want, utter _need_ to laugh at the situation, at Uchiha Itachi doing something other than injuring in some way, but the inability to do so. She merely nodded her head and when she remembered Itachi was blind (and his blind, blind eyes were not _actually_ looking into her own but were pretty damn close), she could barely get out her whispered, "You're forgiven."

She turned to Naruto. "Harada-kun," she made up off the top of her head, "needs me at the fields. I have to go. Goodbye, Sho." Then, not turning around, she said, "Goodbye, Murakami-san. I will return."

"Goodbye, Yuriko-san."

He bowed his head politely to her. Sakura, despite knowing he could not see, bowed back.

What was this odd magnetic pull that was Uchiha Itachi?

* * *

 **A/N: I would really appreciate it if you took the time to leave a review!**


	8. Of Chatter and Secrets

**A/N:** Big thank you to **infinite eternity** , **Synchronicity911** , and **arashi0kage**! Helps me keep going.

This story is coming up to a very big climax very soon! I might be starting a less serious story too, alongside this one (which I realized is going at a pretty slow pace), so I'm really excited. Thank you for reading! Please review!

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

… **:::Of Chatter and Secrets:::…**

* * *

"As much as you try to organize your life, life will surprise you." – Bryce Dessner

* * *

"Sho?"

"How did you hear me from over there?"

"Training."

"Oh."

It was the second morning. Kakashi was at the kitchen table, another scroll in his hands and another plate of food in front of him. He had stared pointedly at Naruto for quite a while, somehow managing to say _Naruto, I know how attached you are to him, but if you don't extract any sort of information from him today, I've got a meeting with Tsunade and I'm not afraid to let his name slip_ in a single glance of the eye. _You have until midnight._

So Naruto spent his breakfast with Itachi.

"How do you stand it?" he asked over his rice.

"Stand what?"

"The way you are now."

"I am not quite sure I understand what you mean, Sho."

Naruto chewed his rice slowly, carefully. "Vulnerable. With strangers. . . . Blind."

Itachi also chewed his rice slowly, carefully. "I am slowly regaining my strength thanks to Yuriko-san, and thanks to your patience back at the forest, so I doubt I am as vulnerable as I seem." Slowly, carefully. "I do not mind strangers. Granted, I have not spoken to many." Chew, chew. "I could, however, do without the nuisance of blindness."

 _Damn it. Nothing._

"You never did answer me."

"Oh?"

"When I asked you what you were going to do when you get your sight back."

"Ah." Chew, chew. "I suppose you tried playing the leaf?"

Naruto pouted. He had, actually. Tried and failed. "Yes, but that's not the point. Don't you think whoever sent you out on that mission is looking for you?"

He thought he saw the hint of a smirk on Itachi's face as the man took a bite of a sliced egg. "No. I do not believe he is."

He.

"That's not what I expected Konoha to be like at all."

He saw the realization dawn onto Itachi as the man attempted to remember the lies he had fabricated. But something else had changed in his expression, something Naruto could not recognize.

"Sho," he said in a measured tone, "that is exactly what Konoha is like."

 _Thud._

There went his heart again. That dull thud of some newly learned surprise. _That is exactly what Konoha is like._ He was afraid if he continued, Itachi would deem him far too curious. If he did not, however, he would risk losing the thought forever.

But two pieces of the larger puzzle suddenly fit into place. It was an exaggerated fit, but he supposed if he forced the pieces together, it would end up working somehow.

"You don't sound like you like Konoha, do you?" he began with a whisper, suddenly not hungry. "We've treated so many ninja from Konoha. They tell me how determined they are to fight for it. To return heroes. But there's something different about you, Ryo." He paused, trying to calculate Itachi's stoic stance. "They did something to you."

Silence.

"What happens if you leave a country like that? If you could just run away? Forever?"

Itachi turned to him. "You're automatically a threat to them, and they automatically want you dead."

Naruto couldn't help but gulp at the harsh reality of it.

"I'm glad I'm not part of a country like that," he lied. "I'd never be able to live there knowing I was being limited." His Konoha pride attempted to swell inside his belly, but all he felt was a hollowness that only knowing what Konoha did to Itachi would fill.

 _What Konoha did to_ him _?_ something inside of him snapped. _More like what_ he _did to_ Konoha _! Need I remind you of the blood on his hands?_

 _So why would he sound angry about leaving Konoha?_

Just another question that buzzed through his mind. Itachi left half of his breakfast, his jaw aching far too much to allow him to chew again. Unsure of what to do with it, he held it in his good hand and sat in silence. Or sat in anger. Really, Naruto could never tell.

"Sho," he said at last when Naruto grabbed the half-empty bowl from his hand. "Thank you." It was not simply thanks for the breakfast, Naruto recognized. In the silence that followed hung the unspoken words, _for the bed, for the medicine, for the crutch, for the help, for not giving up for a stranger._

"I don't need your thanks," Naruto told him honestly. "Don't mention it."

Naruto caught Kakashi's all-knowing, all-seeing eye and tried his hand at imitating Itachi's stoic expression. It failed. _That must take years to perfect!_

"So?" Kakashi asked when they were later in the quiet confines of the living room.

"He's healing just fine," he said, but his eyes said _He can probably hear us from miles away with that self-training of his. I'll tell you later._ He hoped he was as good at silent communication as Kakashi was.

Sakura arrived from her hospital shift an hour later. Naruto had been sitting with Itachi in complete and utter silence. For an hour.

And he hadn't minded.

"Yuriko-san," Itachi had said when he heard her enter.

"Murakami-san." Devoid of emotion. Like him. She looked him over. "Anything in particular that has been disturbing you? I can only heal one thing at a time and I'm particularly tired today. I've just returned from a parade of hay fever."

Naruto looked at her curiously. She did not look particularly tired; if Naruto guessed, he would have to say it was a slow day at the hospital. He wondered if she was simply lying because the idea of healing the enemy was so disgusting, or if she wanted to emphasize the fact that Itachi's healing process would be a long, slow one.

Itachi was silent for a few moments before he opened his mouth to say, "Well Yuriko-san, nothing in particular, I believe. You may leave for some rest if you wish."

Sakura turned to Naruto in disbelief.

Naruto opened his mouth in silent laughter.

Uchiha Itachi had _manners_. Chivalrous manners. He had noticed it a while back but never had they truly come out until in the presence of Sakura – Yuriko – and Naruto found himself unwittingly comparing the Uchiha brothers. Sasuke would've been silently stubborn for sure. He would never have followed Naruto in the first place, but if he had and was sitting exactly in Itachi's position, he would've turned his head to the side and deemed himself perfectly fine in his own twisted imitation of manners.

Oh, Uchihas.

"Nonsense, Murakami-san, you're looking particularly worse for wear," Sakura recovered.

"Then perhaps a soldier pill or painkiller to get me through the day?"

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."

Sakura snuck a glance at Naruto, unsure of whether or smirk or grimace or simply knead her eyebrows together in confusion. She reached inside the pack at her side and pulled out four plain white pills.

"I don't know what a soldier pill is," she lied, "but my other patients say these painkillers are pretty effective." She handed them to Naruto instead of Itachi. "If the pain is really bad, take two at a time. If it's only a little throb, take one. You can take another set at night if the pain is still there."

Itachi bowed his head towards her. She reluctantly bowed back.

When her hand made contact with Naruto's (it, to the blond's dulling sapphire eyes, was still bandaged and mottled with bruises), she held it there for several seconds. In reassurance. Silently telling Naruto _be careful_. He smiled at her and watched her leave. Then he turned to Itachi.

"Why didn't you tell her?" he asked as he handed Itachi the pills. "You can barely sit up with those ribs of yours."

"There is no need to be a greater burden than I already am."

Naruto allowed himself a laugh. "You're the most well-mannered of ninja to ever pass by, I'll give you that."

"I shall take that as a compliment."

"I'll get you a glass of water."

When Naruto returned, cup of water in hand, Itachi had already dry-swallowed what he needed. The rest of the pills rested alone on the bedside desk. Two were missing. Naruto frowned and handed him the glass of water anyway.

"If you're in that much pain . . ."

"Are you a naturally patient person, Sho?"

Naruto's frown only deepened. Itachi needed to stop changing the subject. "Not really, but I can be if I wanted to."

"So rather than enjoying shogi, I suppose, what do you enjoy?"

"Uncle has a shogi set."

"I doubt you would –"

"I've been pretty patient with you for over three weeks," Naruto interrupted with a grin. "I think another hour of shogi wouldn't hurt, but I've got to warn you, I'm pretty bad at it."

Itachi smirked – smirked, smirked, smirked, and Naruto blinked because he had seen _Sasuke_ and the demonic Uchiha brother. "Well, yes, I suppose I will not be too great at it either."

"Do you think you can play? . . . Since you're . . . well . . ."

"I have hands, Sho." His smirk only stayed and he wiggled the fingers of the hand that was in a sling. "Well, _hand_."

Naruto was so surprised that Uchiha Itachi had made a _joke_ that he had momentarily forgotten how to laugh.

"All right, then. It's a challenge."

It _was_ a challenge. To play. Naruto had lurked through Kakashi's house for several minutes before managing to procure a shogi set from the top of the man's closet and brushing off the fine layer of dust it had attracted. Itachi had waited patiently for Naruto to set up the pieces on both his side and his own before bringing the tips of his fingers down to the flat wooden pieces and brushing over them softly.

"Shall we begin?" he asked.

Naruto, curious, moved his first piece. He watched Itachi's fingers glide over the engraved characters on the wood before moving his own piece. It was a slow game, but it worked.

Somewhat.

"You do not have any strategies?" he asked Naruto a while later after having felt the character of Naruto's latest move.

"I don't play this game too often to develop any." Itachi captured his pawn. "How long have _you_ been playing it?"

"Far too long." Another capture. "It is the only game that can be played at any opportunity. I often drive my partner insane because he is the only other person with me most of the time."

The game went on. Very slowly. Itachi had to feel every piece, but he was able to memorize where most of them were. More often than Naruto's patience would have allowed, his only good hand brushed a piece out of place accidentally and they would spend a minute or two pondering over where it had been.

When Kakashi arrived, Naruto had not realized the sun was beginning its descent. He looked from Itachi to the window, wondering how the time could have possibly escaped them.

"Sho?" he heard Kakashi calling in his drawl. "Shouji, you slacker."

"In here, Uncle!"

His expectant eyes trailed towards the door as Itachi felt for his next piece. Kakashi appeared, a pile of scrolls in one hand and a takeaway box of dango in the other, eyes crinkled in his usual exaggerated smile. "I thought you could . . ."

But his words trailed away when he opened his eyes.

Naruto frowned, unsure of what brought on the unexpected reaction. Kakashi stared at him for a fraction of a second before picking up where he left off, seemingly unfazed, but voice definitely more level.

"I thought you could use some dango and green tea."

"Thanks, Uncle," Naruto said, the confusion evident in his voice. "I'll finish up and be right there."

"No need to wait." Itachi smirked, letting Naruto's king slide into his lap. "The game is over."

"Oh, you think you're so funny," the blond snapped in mock distaste as he stood up. "I'll be right back. Do you mind putting the pieces back in the box?"

Kakashi had disappeared. Naruto found him laying the groceries out on his dining table. A kettle of water boiled on the stovetop. Very nonchalantly, very quietly, very Kakashi-like, the man whispered as he continued to arrange the groceries,

"Asuma gave me that shogi set."

Oh.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei . . . I didn't – I mean, I thought – Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry, I didn't know . . ."

Kakashi simply turned to smile at him, that crinkling, disturbing smile. "I suppose it was about time someone played with that thing."

Naruto could not help the stabbing feeling that weighed his shoulders down. "I'm really sorry, Kakashi-sensei," he continued, fiddling with the edges of a grocery bag. "I shouldn't have touched your stuff. You're letting me keep him here, sleep here, and you're even cooking food for us, and I just go and . . ."

"Naruto." He threw a plastic container of ramen at him. "It's okay."

He still wasn't entirely convinced, choosing instead to remain silent and struggle with the plastic lid on the container. Kakashi set down a few ready-made onigiri, which Naruto took quickly to Itachi.

The night passed without event. Itachi had drifted quietly into sleep, leaving Naruto alone to watch Kakashi sift through an assortment of scrolls on his dining table, shoulders still heavy with guilt from the shogi incident.

"Noise cancellation," Kakashi explained to the blonde's curious eyes. "Aha!"

He unraveled a particular scroll and admired the intricate details of the painted seal within. Naruto watched him tack it against the closed door of Itachi's room and set his right palm against the scroll as his left hand switched between several seals. The painted kanji sprang to life, slithering from the scroll to cover the door in an inky black X.

Kakashi stepped back to admire his handiwork. "No more being scared we'll be overheard. We can hear him but he can't hear us. Stole that one from Tsunade herself. She uses them for the hospital wards."

Naruto simply nodded, offering a smile but nothing more. Kakashi disappeared inside of his room without another word, leaving Naruto alone.

Somehow, Naruto thought as he settled into the couch, he felt more alone than he had in a while.

* * *

"Naruto."

The blond looked up, more alert than usual at the unexpected voice in the silence. His eyebrows shot up upon finding Kakashi standing in the doorway, his hands on Asuma's shogi set.

"Would you mind playing a game of shogi with me?"

"Kakashi-sensei . . ." was all Naruto could manage in his surprise. He watched the man walk to the opposite couch and place the set on the wooden coffee table.

"I told you it was about time this thing was used," he said quietly. "You can't honor Asuma's memory from the top of the closet gathering dust now, can you? Come on. I'm almost as terrible as you are at it."

"Oi," Naruto teased halfheartedly, grinning nonetheless as he slipped from the couch and knelt on the floor by the coffee table, watching as Kakashi meticulously removed the pieces and placed them on the wooden board.

They began their game in silence, Naruto watching Kakashi for any signs of annoyance or nostalgia and receiving neither. It was only when one of Kakashi's pawns had been captured by Naruto did the man lean forward, hand to his masked chin, and cluck his tongue in thought.

"So what have you learned?" he asked casually, moving a new piece.

"Of Itachi?"

Kakashi hummed.

Naruto told him. "He has really good manners," he joked.

"I suppose most Uchihas are trained in the art of discipline," commented Kakashi.

"No, he has . . . different manners. Nice manners, not discipline. I guess they're different . . ." He scratched his head, always surprised when he remembered his blond locks were taking their time to grow back in. "He said he doesn't expect whoever sent him out on his mission would be looking for him. And he's got this very negative image of Konoha. He was angry about leaving it. I think." He thought for a moment. "He doesn't like something about its system. He implied that Konoha is all about leaving people behind."

Kakashi leaned his head back a moment. "That's all?"

"That's all."

"It's not enough."

Naruto frowned. "It's not midnight."

Kakashi hummed.

Then came an hour until midnight.

Naruto had been feeling skittish since he had lost the shogi game against Kakashi. Kakashi was sitting at the kitchen table, steaming green tea by his side and several mission scrolls surrounding him. With an hour to go, Itachi still had not woken up. He felt like shaking the man awake to scream at him, telling him _You have an hour left to live!_ If he did not extract information from Itachi soon . . .

Naruto's head shot up from where he had rested it on the couch. Someone was vomiting.

"Duty calls," he heard Kakashi comment idly without staring up from his work.

Naruto raced into the guest room to find Itachi lying awkwardly on the floor, inches away from the bathroom door, supporting himself upright on one knee with one leg extended behind him. He was hunched, torso turned at his waist, held upright on the elbow of an arm whose soiled hand was covering his mouth.

"Ryo," Naruto breathed out, kneeling beside the man and attempting to help him stand. Itachi swatted his hands away. "Should I bring Yuriko over?"

"Do not bother yourself," was the hoarse reply as Itachi attempted to gather himself. "It is merely a common cold."

"That," said Naruto, pointing to the vomit specked with blood with his nose scrunched, "does not look like the common cold."

Itachi finally managed to bring himself into somewhat of a sitting position, breaths coming out faster than usual. He tipped his head back and gulped in several breaths of air before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "My body is unused to such extensive injuries," he tried to explain. "I suppose it does not know how to react."

"Why?" And Naruto realized it was the perfect time to extract _some_ sort of information from him. Anything. It was to keep Itachi alive (and not merely to satiate his own curiosity, as his mind nagged). Itachi did not object to the hands on his shoulders. "You're a ninja, yet you've never had an injury?" He guided the man over to the bed. "And why aren't you so keen on going home?"

Naruto was very much aware of the barrage of questions he had launched at the Uchiha, but he did not care. There were forty-five minutes left to his life. He needed answers, and he needed them quickly. If Itachi noticed the unusual stream of questions, he did not say. He simply sat for a while and listened to Naruto run the faucet to wet a towel for the vomit on the ground.

When Naruto exited the bathroom and knelt on the floor, Itachi looked in the boy's direction.

"Sometimes," he said quietly, "you need to protect your village at whatever the cost."

Naruto did not look up at him. He was too busy widening his eyes and making sure he was still breathing.

"I suppose," Itachi continued nonetheless, setting back against the bed and closing his eyes to allow his illness to take over, "I have just about managed to prevent a war."

And Naruto could barely suppress the sound of his breath sticking in his throat. He stopped wiping at the ground and simply stared blankly at the wooden floors.

 _Managed to prevent a war._

What?

Excuse me?

There was no way Itachi was lying. No way the Uchiha could possibly be speaking so nonchalantly about something so absurd. It was too farfetched to be a lie.

"Ninja," he managed to whisper back, although his voice sounded distant to him. "You're so damn loyal to your villages, aren't you? You'd do anything for them. It's admirable."

Itachi grunted, already plunged far into sub-consciousness.

Minutes later, when Itachi had fallen asleep or unconscious – honestly, he could care less – and the sick had been removed from the floor, Naruto walked detachedly into the living room, eyes still wide, and sunk into the armchair.

"It's almost midnight, Naruto," Kakashi told him from the dining table.

"Kakashi-sensei . . ."

The silver-haired man looked up, eye suddenly serious at the odd tone his student had taken on. "What's wrong?"

"Kakashi-sensei . . ." And he didn't know how to say it. Was Uchiha Itachi a hero? Was he somewhat insane? Had years in the Akatsuki turned him crazy? And if he wasn't crazy, what was he? What was this puzzle he had woven? This other side of Uchiha Itachi? Or had they simply been seeing this side but not actually _seeing_ it all along?

Kakashi had stood up and had walked over to kneel in front of his student, hands placed on the couch cushions on either side of Naruto's knees and gray eye staring up into blank sapphires with concern.

"Naruto," he urged.

Naruto turned his head – slowly, slowly, achingly slowly – to stare at his sensei and tried to find the words to match the buzzing questions in his mind. "I think," he began at such an agonizing pace that Kakashi wanted to shake him by the shoulders so the words would simply tumble from Naruto's mouth, "Itachi's protecting the village."


	9. Of Breaking and Entering

**A/N:** WOW! I am so grateful for the huge response I received from last chapter! Big thanks to **chidoripotato, Synchronicity911, toorealreality, ANBU Inu, . .world, JustAnoth3rFan, and the several Guests** who left reviews that had me grinning from ear-to-ear. Really warms my heart!

Enjoy! There's a lot of build-up happening for all the action next chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

… **:::Of Breaking and Entering:::…**

* * *

"Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig. I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen." - Epictetus

* * *

Itachi stayed, that night.

Kakashi had granted the newly learned information vital enough and had promised Naruto he would not turn the man in – _yet_. He spent the night mulling over a new assortment of scrolls before he chose a particularly long one, asking Naruto to offer his chakra so they could place it over the guest room door together. The whole process took several minutes to complete; Naruto watched the black kanji symbols slither around those from the previous seal so that, by the end, every inch of wood was masked in ink.

"A second layer of protection. It prevents anyone from reading chakra signatures on the inside." Kakashi sat back in exhaustion from the sealing jutsu. "I'd been waiting to see how long our guest would be staying before offering it."

Sakura came by in the morning to look at Itachi's ribs while the man slept and found that the agitation caused to them was what had triggered the blood to pool in his esophagus. She had left promptly, suddenly overwhelmed by the presence of the criminal (and his eerie, eerie, eerie similarities to his younger brother).

Naruto was beginning to realize Itachi was becoming fed up with staying in bed.

It was two days after he had found Itachi on the floor. The older man had spent the day after almost consistently asleep. Now, however, Naruto was beginning to notice little agitations in the man, like how he would shake his leg ever-so-slightly from side-to-side, or the twitch of his mouth in a frown as he looked out what he felt from the breeze of the wind to be the window.

Sakura noticed it, too, that day, as she sat on the edge of the bed and asked Itachi professionally to remove his shirt. She wished she hadn't, because a second later, Naruto obtained the brilliant idea of leaving her. With him. So he could buy things Itachi might like.

Brilliant.

She, of course, could make no objection in Itachi's presence. Kakashi had already left the house for a meeting with Tsunade, meaning she would be alone with the murderer. The psychopath. The blind, bruised, battered, shaved Uchiha.

Speaking of shaven, she noted with as much humor as she could muster in the situation, Itachi's chin was spotted with dark stubble. Some hairs shone blue beneath his pallid complexion, others starkly black against his skin and straightly smooth.

"You are uncomfortable."

She whipped her head in his direction from where she had been assessing the alignment of his fractured ribs. It had been fifteen minutes into his company and she had not said anything.

"If it is my presence –"

"No, no," and she gave what she thought was believable nervous laughter. "It's . . . I've never quite had a patient like you for so long. And certainly not a patient with such extensive injuries."

"If you could hand me my shirt . . ."

She had just realized she had asked him to remove his shirt and then had done nothing about it. For a fleeting moment, she was thankful Itachi could not see the faint blush of embarrassment that crept up her neck and crossed her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I got distracted. I was meant to check up on your injuries."

She felt the bed dip beneath her weight as she leaned in close to Itachi, asking him to turn over slightly so she could observe the wounds on his back.

"You have smooth hands."

What.

The.

Hell?

Her hands stopped roaming over the line by his spine. He felt the sudden cease of movement.

"For your line of work," he tried to clarify awkwardly.

She smirked at the uncertainty in his expression. "I usually wear gloves."

"Would you mind if I asked about your past?" he suddenly asked not moments later, and she wondered if he was simply asking questions to remove the uncomfortable air from around them or because he was trying to piece together any sort of data about his strange hosts, perhaps to catch her in a lie or prove she was really a threat. Sakura rather liked the suffocating blanket of tension, thank you very much.

"Yes, I would mind."

Silence.

Then, "Would you mind it even if I tell you a story from my past in exchange for one from yours?"

 _No. Not at all_ , she thought. She could use the situation to her advantage. She could be the one to discover the riddle that was Uchiha Itachi.

"You have to go first," she confirmed, pressing a raised welt that was beginning to turn an unsightly gray color, just beneath Itachi's shoulder blade. She pushed a little chakra into it and watched the discoloration fade.

"Fine."

Sakura waited for a waterfall of revelations.

"When I was sixteen, I walked into a café and ordered a seaweed salad." Itachi paused.

"Did you meet an enemy?" Sakura pushed him. "Was it poisoned? Did someone ambush you?"

Itachi smirked. Sakura could not see the amused expression that toyed with his lips from where she knelt with his back to her.

"No," he answered simply. "It was delicious."

The end.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched, unimpressed by the Uchiha's newfound humor. She pushed her finger into a festering wound and felt satisfaction in the tensing of his muscles. "Very funny, but that's not good enough."

"I do not recall having set a standard to the stories and therefore, that was good enough. Are you attempting to _heal_ my wounds or agitate them further?"

"It has to be a _meaningful_ story."

"Meaningful?" he inquired.

"Meaningful. As in, you felt something. Some strong emotion. It has to be an emotional story," she concluded. "Because my past is emotional and I only want emotions in exchange. Understand?"

She wasn't quite convinced herself, she thought. Her fingers trailed the wound that paralleled Itachi's spine and wondered who was so skilled in medicine he would be able to understand the subtlest means of torture, and how Itachi had survived it without losing his sanity. It took several moments of silence to realize she had begun to heal it unconsciously.

Itachi was still silent. She doubted he would continue.

More silence.

Until finally, ". . . My younger brother almost drowned in a lake."

There was more silence, but this time because Sakura was the one to administer it. She did not stop her healing, afraid Itachi would think something was up, and instead whispered, "That must've been terrible."

Itachi nodded his head subtly in response. Sakura stopped moving over the welt by his spine and instead moved to his shoulders, where there were nail marks and scratches surrounded by blotches of ugly bruises. Her healing became unconscious; it was her body that moved, but her attention waited for Itachi to continue.

"He was six," he complied with her silent wish. "There was a large lake near my home that I often trained at. My younger brother wanted to do everything I did – you know how younger siblings are."

 _No,_ Sakura thought. _No, I don't. And especially not younger Uchiha siblings._

"He snuck out in the dead of night to the lake to train secretly, and he must have slipped on the dock and fallen into the water, and I had never gotten around to teaching him how to swim, so he struggled and he sank. And if I had not woken with this _instinct_ that something was wrong . . ."

Uchiha Sasuke would have died.

"But you did," Sakura said quickly. "And that's what matters."

 _But you said he died_ , she thought. _You said he was dead. Why didn't you tell me about that time?_

Itachi turned in her general direction and nodded at her encouragingly. "Your turn."

She was silent for a while, having forgotten she was meant to hold up her end of the bargain. She imagined she would simply make up a story. What was it Kakashi had said happened to her when she was younger? Abandoned? She wasn't quite sure why, but any story she told paled in comparison to the almost-death of six-year-old Uchiha Sasuke. So she told him of a day when she found out her parents had left her and even paused for believable dramatic effect. It was short. It was sweet. It was emotional.

It was believable.

Itachi gingerly pulled his shirt over his head with his good arm. He did not, however, feel the bed depress to mark Sakura's leave but rather felt her body lean in closer to his. He could not stop himself from holding his breath as he waited to understand what was happening. Sakura's hands were cupping his temples softly from behind his head, her thumbs just under the skin of his lower eyelid. He felt the warmth of her chakra and closed his sightless eyes instinctively.

That was how Naruto returned to see them.

He entered the door not moments later, finding Sakura leaning close to Itachi and the ugly bruises around the man's eyes rapidly disappearing. He smiled and held up a bag.

"Want to stick around, Yuriko?" he asked, grinning as he approached.

Sakura removed her hands and stood, admiring her work. Itachi's eyes appeared normal when shut, save for the brutally jagged scar across his left eye. "Sorry," she said, "but I've still got to finish the job I started yesterday."

"Goodbye, Yuriko-san," Itachi said when he felt her leave the bed.

"Heal well, Murakami-san."

She gagged.

* * *

Nothing had changed a day later. They learned nothing further. Itachi simply sat. Silently. Always silently, always sitting, barely moving. Naruto observed him. The man never made a fuss about his current living conditions, only asking from time to time when his eyes would begin to be treated because he was, after all, on a mission. Naruto apologized. Itachi did not mind.

But quite frankly, Naruto thought, he did not have a further plan.

He called for a meeting. He was beginning to panic – Itachi would surely figure out he was being duped soon with the slow escalation of events. With Itachi asleep (he was asleep for far too many hours of the day recently, observed Naruto), Kakashi and Sakura sat in the living room and spoke in hushed voices.

"Do you even know of a way to contact Sasuke to let him know Itachi is here?" asked Kakashi.

". . . No . . ."

"So you're just hoping he'll magically appear out of thin air?" continued Sakura.

Naruto grimaced. "I know I dragged you guys into this, but when you're in the middle of the forest with none other than Uchiha Itachi and he's practically dying at your hands, planning out every detail of the future is the last thing on your mind. And," he stared pointedly at Kakashi, "you _found_ me before I could come to you. Not that I'm not eternally grateful, sensei, but it cut things short."

Very plainly, very evenly, Sakura replied, "We have to tell Tsunade."

"No!" Naruto looked quickly to the door as if he expected Itachi to suddenly wake up at his outburst and exclaim he knew it all along. When the door did not budge, he continued, whispering, "She'll _kill_ him!"

"He deserves to be killed!"

"Sakura," he leaned forward, foreign seriousness etched in every whisker of his face, "Itachi is the only reason Sasuke left Konoha. He is the one thing that's been on that bastard's mind since the massacre. The one thing he's living for right now. Do you really want to be the one to take away that one thing from him? How's he going to react to that?"

Silence. The remnants of Team 7 sat, thinking. Thinking.

"Do you think you can start healing his eyes?"

Sakura looked at him with a glance that clearly told him she thought he was insane. "You mean the _fake_ treatment, right?"

Naruto did not address the word 'fake'. "He's going to start figuring out some things are weird if he doesn't start getting healed."

"Naruto, I'm not even sure if I _can_ cure the blind. I'm not even sure Tsunade-sama can do it, let alone administer such treatment to Uchiha Itachi of all people!"

"Just push some chakra into his eyes or something," Naruto tried to compromise. "I don't know, he just needs to think we're doing something!"

Sakura huffed and turned to Kakashi. "And what do you think of all of this?"

Kakashi smiled teasingly. "I think this might become more amusing than _Icha Icha Paradise._ "

Truthfully, Kakashi thought as he stared at the door behind which his past partner slept soundly, he was hoping Naruto would work his magic on the man. Itachi had been nothing but competent and companionable during their ANBU days and it had shattered his reality when news of the Uchiha massacre struck.

If there was a mystery to the rogue ninja, he knew Naruto would solve it. It was only a matter of when, and if there was anything worth solving at all.

* * *

The first time Sakura tried healing Itachi was the next day, when she had come in during a break from her hospital shifts to find him finally awake at the right time. Naruto had already explained to Itachi that they would try to begin the process and Itachi, rolling a strawberry around his mouth with his tongue from the homemade ice cream he and Naruto had created, agreed.

So Itachi relaxed against the cushions of the bed and set his jaw into his trademark look of indifference as Sakura leaned over him with her hands glowing green. Kakashi stood protectively in the doorway, his Sharingan unmasked and his arms crossed over his chest.

Seconds later, Itachi was having a seizure.

His body had stiffened suddenly and begun to shake violently. Sakura pulled her hands away as Naruto gasped in horror and looked from her to Kakashi for answers.

"Yuriko!" Kakashi had been so close, _so close_ to saying Sakura's name, although he doubted Itachi would even be aware at that point.

"I don't – I was just repairing some blood vessels –"

Itachi's teeth were chattering and the trickle of blood that made its slow, slow way from his nose began to dip over his upper lip and paint his mouth red. Sakura tried to grab his head between her hands from her position by the bed, but he was shaking too much, too much. Kakashi and Naruto were attempting to still his convulsions to no avail.

So she straddled him.

She swung one leg over his chest and seated herself on his recently mended ribs, dipping her heels into his sides to control his shaking. Itachi's eyes had rolled to the back of his head so that all Sakura could see as he shook violently were the whites of his eyes and the reds of his veins. She managed to take his shaven head between her glowing hands and closed her eyes in concentration.

Seconds later, the seizure stopped.

"There's something wrong with his eyes," she said as she lifted herself from Itachi's body and assessed any further damage.

 _Sharingan_ , Naruto mouthed, and Kakashi took the hint and nodded.

When Sakura had wiped the blood from his face and ensured his safety, the trio trailed from the room and closed the door behind him so the noise cancellation seal was activated.

"So he's blind forever?" asked the blond.

Sakura shook her head. "I can't just pour chakra into his eyes indefinitely. It's going to take a lot of precision and a lot of research so he doesn't end up with that seizure again."

"You would do that? For him?" Kakashi had not asked it in surprise. He had asked it as if he was testing her, merely questioning her.

Sakura shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"Sakura . . ."

She stared angrily at Naruto. "What would you sacrifice for him, Naruto?"

"I'm not making sacrifices for him. I'm making sacrifices for Sasuke."

Her angered countenance melted away and she looked to her bare feet, silent. She wished he would give up. And she wished he wouldn't.

* * *

Sakura was back the next day.

She had asked Naruto to tell her when Itachi woke up, but she had received no word of the Uchiha. Walking into Kakashi's house after her hospital shift had ended, the sun beginning to fall over the horizon, she found Naruto telling her Itachi had not stirred since his seizure.

Kakashi was packing. He slung his bag over his shoulder and stood in the doorway of the guestroom, leaning against the frame with his hands in his pockets and looking at his two students.

"I'm off on another mission," he drawled when Sakura had confirmed the Uchiha was completely unconscious. "Five days."

Naruto turned from where he had been staring at Sakura healing a wound by Itachi's jugular. "Why are you going on so many missions?"

The silver-haired man shrugged. "Tsunade-sama thinks she's close to finding something out." He pushed himself from the doorframe. "But I could stay if you two really need the help."

"We'll be fine, Kakashi-sensei," and Sakura smiled for reassurance. "I'll make sure Naruto doesn't set anything on fire."

Kakashi smiled and waved goodbye nonchalantly. "If I get back and you haven't procured any valuable information from or guest, it's to the Hokage with him."

Sakura left not long after Kakashi. Naruto could see the weariness that slowed her movements and he smiled softly at her as she huffed a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes as she bent over the sleeping Uchiha. He had pushed her away as the sun was beginning its slow descent and encouraged her to sleep. She did not protest, and it was only then that Naruto realized how bone-tired she must have been.

Naruto, not quite comfortable with being alone, busied himself with idle chores and training around the house. Still, Itachi did not stir. Naruto was beginning to grow worried. He wet a towel from the kitchen sink and ventured back inside of the room, leaving the door open.

 _He's getting worse_ , thought Naruto as he dabbed at Itachi's brow. It was odd. The Uchiha was extremely feverish despite the fact that Sakura had been working to heal him for days. Perhaps another wound had become infected? But Naruto had checked. Itachi had been healing well, his welts now down to scratches, his bruises to unmarred pale skin. Perhaps his malnutrition was the cause?

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by a quiet _crrrrreeeeak . . . shup._

Someone had opened the door, but not with a key. He stealthily lifted his leg from the bed, dropping the damp cloth on Itachi's forehead, and moved so he could peak his head from the guest room.

"Kakashi-san . . .?" whoever had opened the door called slowly into the darkness of the living room.

ANBU.

Two of them, each wearing a black cloak. Naruto, startled at their sudden appearance, stood still for a few moments before realizing they were _breaking into Kakashi's house._ He snuck a glance at Itachi to make sure he was asleep before exiting the room and closing the door behind him to lock the seals in place. With the shuffling of his feet, each porcelain mask snapped in his direction.

"Ah, Kakashi-san is indeed here?" offered the feline mask upon seeing Naruto.

Naruto faked a yawn and stretched, hoping it would indicate he was the only one who was in the guest room. The darkness of the house concealed the black kanji of the seals that coiled over its door.

"What the hell are you doing in Kakashi-sensei's house?" he asked, feigning the sleep in his voice. He did not bother greeting them. What would he greet them with? _Oh, hello. Nice of you to join me. Was the lock easy to jimmy?_

"I think the better question is," continued the feline, "what are _you_ doing here?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow in cool countenance despite his inward panic at the situation. "No, that's not really the better question. He's my sensei. We were training and he offered his house for rest. You, on the other hand . . ." He squinted, taking in the meaning of the black cloaks at last. ". . . are Root ANBU. What are _you_ doing here?"

"That's really none of your business, Jinchuuriki," snapped Cheetah.

Naruto growled at him in sudden rage. "And when I let him know you casually walked in through a _locked_ door?"

He could practically hear the sneer behind Cheetah's mask, but it was the flanking Gorilla who held out an arm to ease his comrade.

"We received notice that Kakashi-san was incapacitated after discovering vital information. We were sent to retrieve the information and ensure his well-being." He waved magnanimously at the dark expanse of the house. "Given the lack of his chakra signature, we can safely assume he isn't here, is he?"

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "He left for a mission before I slept. I'm supposed to lock up behind myself when I leave in the morning."

Gorilla nodded in appreciation; Naruto realized he had done well to give the image that he had been sleeping and Kakashi's masking seal had worked. The suspicious ANBU handed him a small scroll, sealed with Root's insignia.

"For when he returns," he said. He placed his hand on Cheetah's shoulder and the two of them teleported from sight.

Naruto momentarily flared his chakra in an attempt to sense if the ANBU had actually disappeared or if they were merely hiding out of sight. When he was satisfied, he closed the door and abruptly dropped to his knees. The panic exploded in his chest from where he had kept it at bay and he grabbed at his heart with shaking fingers. Could he honestly believe Root ANBU? Was there something wrong with Kakashi that he didn't know? Why had they bothered to break into Kakashi's house yet call out his name? The door hadn't been closed when Naruto had been with Itachi at first. _Oh God,_ thought Naruto, _had they sensed his chakra?_ Had they realized there was a dying man in the room before Naruto had closed the door?

They had given no indication and had called Kakashi's name instead of just looking for his chakra signature as soon as they entered, and so Naruto convinced himself he had activated the seals in time. If they had sensed Itachi, the S-ranked missing-nin, he was sure they would have asked or tried to investigate further.

Nonetheless, he couldn't help the paralyzing panic that gripped at his heart from the unusual encounter. If Sai had taught him anything, it was that Root ANBU was never a good thing, regardless of how valid their excuse sounded. His eyes trailed towards Itachi's door but it was a while before he could calm himself down sufficiently enough to stand up and walk to the room. He was almost worried he would open the door to find Itachi missing.

Instead, Naruto walked in to find Itachi awake, standing, and gingerly removing his arm from its sling. His lips pulled into a thin line at what Naruto assumed was a jolt of pain when he flexed the fingers of his limp arm by his side.

"I wouldn't do anything with that if I were you."

Itachi turned towards him with sightless eyes. The sweat of his fever shone subtly in the moonlight that filtered through the window. "I fear of losing my muscle movement. To strengthen it, I must use it." Then, with a slight bow of his head, he said, "Would you mind if I used the shower?"

Naruto smiled. "You don't have to ask next time. Towels are where they always are."

"Thank you."

"I'll even find you a new pair of clothes. You've been wearing those for way too long."

"Do not trouble yourself, Sho."

"You've been sweating and throwing up and bleeding in those clothes that you have on now, Ryo. They're practically rags. I think a change is in order."

Itachi smirked with another bow of his head and disappeared into the bathroom. Naruto was there to greet him when he exited the shower, a pair of Kakashi's pants and plain shirt in arms (and hoping, _praying_ Kakashi would never notice and knowing he'd end up paying the man back later).

The blond stared at the older man as if he was seeing him for the first time. There was something about the shower that had changed the Uchiha. Perhaps it was because it had wiped off the grime, sweat, and blood that had accumulated over the days since his last shower, or perhaps it was because he had just realized Itachi practically looked almost, _almost_ like a version of his old self because the bruises across his body were faded or fading and his hair had grown out enough to conceal his scalp. The water had eased the symptoms of his fever but his cheeks were still powdered with pink from his temperature. Naruto smirked in spite of himself.

"You're growing a goatee," he teased, handing Itachi the clothing and just realizing the man wore nothing but a towel around his drastically thinned waist. "Do you want me to help you shave it off?"

Itachi waved his hand in dismissal. "It does not irk me just yet."

"Put those on while I attempt to make us something to eat. I have to warn you, though, I'm not as good a cook as my uncle. He's gone for a few days to get some medicine."

"Would you like some help?"

Smile. Smile. Naruto smiled, a genuine smile at Itachi's – manners? General personality? He wasn't quite sure what it was about the Uchiha that made him far more appealing than a psychotic murderer should be, but it was something irresistible.

"I'd like that."

Itachi met him in the kitchen. He had practically staggered into it, unsteady with his tender ankle on unfamiliar ground. Naruto was there asking what he would like to eat, listing off ingredients.

"Just rice and tuna, I suppose," said Itachi. "No need to be quite fancy with dinner for two."

"We've got some veggies if you want."

"Have you ever eaten spiced tomatoes?"

Naruto grinned. "No, but something tells me you're going to make them."

Itachi smirked and groped for a tomato with an uncertain hand. "Concern yourself with the rice and tuna. Unless you need help opening those cans? No need to sprain your arm."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"I do not know what you are talking about, Sho."

"That _was_ sarcasm."

"What is that? I cannot hear you over the slicing of the tomatoes."

"I'm going to poison your food."

"I heard poison tasted rather delicious this time of year."

"You'll let me know, then?"

"You can have a taste for yourself."

Naruto laughed and watched Itachi slice the tomatoes as if he had never been ambushed and blinded by a monster. "How are you doing that? Slicing like you can see the tomatoes?"

"I sit in a bed for hours on end, every day," was the smooth reply as Itachi moved onto his third tomato. "I pass the time by training myself. Who knows how long it will be before my sight returns?"

"A true ninja," Naruto replied with a sagely nod of his head.

Dinner was done. Naruto plated the steaming white rice into two porcelain bowls and topped them with the tuna as Itachi dragged two stools to the bar of the kitchen. His own dish had already been plated: tomato slices seasoned with cumin, lemon, and salt.

"There are delicious!" Naruto licked his fingers of the spices.

"Cumin is a rarity in Konoha," replied Itachi. "When it appeared in the stores, I would make this dish for . . . Taichi," he finished quietly. "I assumed you would have some as you are a village known for herbs."

Naruto's first thought was: _We have some because Kakashi thinks he's a master chef._ His second thought, however, was complimented with pictures of a different Uchiha. _You can make him talk about Sasuke!_

"Would you mind?" he asked quietly, timidly, tentatively. Itachi hummed to show he was listening. "If I asked you about your little brother's death?"

Itachi stopped his chewing and turned in Naruto's direction, his face expressionless. "If you were any other person," he began slowly, "you would be dead." He resumed eating, suddenly an air of amusement around him. "But there is simply something about you, Sho. Something oddly compelling."

Naruto grinned. "So does that mean I get the honor of learning about Murakami Taichi?"

"No. It means you can speak his name without dying."

"I'll take whatever I can get." He paused, unsure of how to go on. "It's just, I've never had a little brother. You know, someone to take care of. Like it was my duty. I wanted to know what it was like."

Itachi stopped eating once more, his eyes resting where the tomatoes were. "Having a little brother adds meaning to your life," he said quietly, fingering his chopsticks. "He was a reason to wake up every day. I had to protect him all the time. It was my duty. My will to live."

"You're still alive."

"My current mission is my last reason to live," he replied. He could not see Naruto's round eyes or hear the _vroom vroom_ of his beating heart.

Every day, thought Naruto, every day he moved closer to unlock the mystery of Uchiha Itachi, and with each key, there seemed to be more doors left to unlock. More mysteries. The keys didn't quite fit the keyholes, or there was another door behind an opened one.

They ate the rest of their dinner in a comfortable silence.

* * *

Sakura came in, as always. Naruto had relayed the information of the ANBU break in from last night and she had shared his alarm, warning Naruto not to send a bird with a message that may get intercepted and wait to tell Kakashi in person instead. For now, the seals on Itachi's door would be their saving grace.

Naruto was somewhat surprised when she entered Itachi's room and said, "I'm here to continue that healing process, Murakami-san." He pulled her outside of the room and closed the door.

"I don't want you to purposely induce a seizure on him, Sakura."

She smiled back at him, albeit somewhat sadly. "I did my research, Naruto." She took advantage of his shock to slip her arm from his grasp and re-enter the guest room. She did not want to discuss her lapse in judgment that had kept her up all night reading her medical textbooks, the face of Uchiha Sasuke swimming in her vision and haunting her every waking moment. She did not want to discuss how much she yearned to have him back, even if it meant cooperating with Naruto's irrational whims.

She had brought a supply of medicine with her and she dropped it on the bedside table. Itachi's eyes followed the sounds of her movement expectantly.

"I took a sedative from our supply because it's quite the painful process," she said as she prepared the needle. "And I apologize because you will not be leaving with perfect eyesight any time soon. It's quite the process, but I'll do my best."

"I have no doubt of your abilities, Yuriko-san."

Naruto laughed silently at the blush that tinged Sakura's ears and she shot him a dirty look that promised pain. She gripped Itachi's unslung arm and tapped at his prominent vein.

"Yuriko-san," Itachi suddenly began, "if I may ask you for a favor before you administer the sedative?"

Sakura's grip on his arm loosened and she cocked her head in curiosity. "Is something wrong?"

"A paper and pen, if it is no trouble?"

"I'll get it."

Naruto returned moments later and handed Itachi a small notepad and a pen he had found discarded on Kakashi's desk before he stepped back to observe the man curiously. Itachi balanced the notepad on his knee and scribbled unsteadily, having to stop to feel for the edges of the paper every now and then. When he was done, he held up the notepad for Sakura to take.

"I apologize for the messy handwriting, Yuriko-san, but I have gone far too long without my usual medicine and it is beginning to take its toll on me. I did my best to accommodate without but I fear my current health can go no longer without them and Sho told me Hitoshi-san has left to retrieve medicine. Would it be too much to ask for what is on that list?"

Naruto looked to him with his eyebrows drawn in concern. "Your usual medicine? Are you okay?" Then, sheepishly, he added, "Besides the obvious, I mean."

Sakura looked at the list with even more concern. "Steroids? Cyclophosphamide and prednisone? Murakami-san, these are, I believe, immunosuppressants. I couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary. What's going on?"

It suddenly dawned onto Naruto why Itachi seemed to be growing progressively worse despite Sakura's healing. Something had _already_ been wrong with him. Something bad. He looked to Sakura and she shared his expression of incredulity.

Itachi was shaking his head softly. "Concern yourself with my eyes, Yuriko-san. I simply ask for this medicine so I may no longer be a burden health-wise. Are they difficult to come by?"

Sakura tucked the list away with a silent promise to Naruto that they would discuss this later. She took Itachi's arm again and slapped at the vein in the crook of his elbow. "Regardless of how difficult, I will do my best. I'm going to administer the sedative now. Let me know if you start to feel any pain while I'm working."

Feeling like he was in the way, Naruto left the room in favor of sitting on the couch outside, leaving the door open so he would be able to hear if Sakura cried out for help. The pink-haired medic kneeled on the bed in front of where Itachi sat cross-legged in anticipation. She took a deep breath, removed her gloves for precision, and willed her chakra to her fingers.

The moment she began to trickle chakra to repair the vessels by Itachi's temples, the Uchiha set his jaw and gritted his teeth in pain. No seizure yet, however, and she smiled slightly in triumph. Itachi didn't seem to share her sentiments; his breathing was beginning to become labored and she knew the sedative had yet to set in.

"How do you stand it, Murakami-san?" she asked softly, hoping to distract him from the pain until it numbed. "You're probably itching to train or get back outside. How are you not frustrated?"

Her warm breath tickled his forehead from the proximity and he arched his back at her soft touch. "I have been doing this for many years, Yuriko-san," he managed through gritted teeth. "Sitting and waiting. What is a little longer in the hospitality of strangers?"

Sakura twisted her mouth to one side in amusement. "After all this time, Murakami-san, can we still be strangers?"

"No, I suppose not. No longer strangers, Yuriko-san."

Itachi felt the sedative begin to relax his muscles and he drooped slightly beneath Sakura's gentle administrations. Sakura's hands moved to massage his temples and then closed above his eyelids. Her breath still tickled his forehead but he no longer felt as if every cell in his body was on fire. He welcomed the pleasant numbness and eased into her touch.

Naruto trailed back into the room half an hour later to tell Sakura to go home before the sun disappeared. Itachi was leaning back against the pillows of the bed at that point, his muscles officially useless from the sedative. Sakura was closely at his side. Sweat raced down her face to her chin and soaked into her shirt.

"I'll try to come back tomorrow," she said as she slid her gloves back on. "Hopefully with your medicine." She had forgotten about Itachi's sudden admission but was far too tired to discuss it with Naruto.

The blond understood without her saying a word and pulled her closely in gentle comfort as she fiddled with her supplies. She smiled softly at him and he could see the tired lines beneath her eyes.

"Rest easy, Yuriko-san," Naruto whispered to her as she turned to leave.

"Thank you, Yuriko-san," came Itachi's slurred voice. He was fading quickly from the sedative but forced himself up slightly on his elbows in an attempt at a proper bow. "For everything you've done for me."

Sakura offered him a small smile she knew he could not see. "Take care, Murakami-san."

When she left, Naruto closed the door to the guest room in reflex and turned to observe his patient. Itachi, well under the effects of the sedative, lolled his head so that he faced what he assumed was Naruto's direction. Naruto, nowhere near Itachi's line of sight, grinned in amusement.

"You ask me all the time," Itachi slurred, eyes drooping dangerously and tongue loose from the drugs, "what I will do when my eyesight is restored. And I just thought, I will have a pilgrimage. To visit my brother."

Just _visit my brother_ , Naruto's mind hastened to include. Not _visit my brother's grave._

Itachi violently lurched forward with the intensity of the coughs that wracked his limp body. A glob of blood stained his fingers when he moved his hand to cover his mouth. Naruto ran to him instinctively and the question of his mysterious preexisting illness invaded his thoughts once more. Itachi simply sat back, lips wearing a new shade of cherry red lipstick, and said, "I have to. In case I die, I want to say goodbye to my brother first."

And his consciousness drifted away.

Naruto wondered how he could possibly sleep. Not when his heart was beating too loud, too fast. Not when he could hear his blood pumping through his veins. Not when Itachi's words – _I want to say goodbye to my brother first, brother first, brother first, brother first_ – echoed deafeningly off the walls.

* * *

 **A/N:** I wanted to ask my readers if they preferred **shorter or longer** chapters. I wanted to make this chapter longer to include the climax of the story (!) and a lot of action, but then it would've been twice as long and I didn't want to bombard you with information. So please let me know what you'd prefer!


	10. Of Comfort and Betrayal

**A/N:** Thank you for the largest reading response last chapter! A big thanks to **Synchronicity911** , **chidoripotato** , **kayna96** , **your kidney 4lunch '3** , and **Guest** , and I am incredibly grateful for **toorealreality** who patiently helped me out with medical knowledge (and who I hope will forgive me for any butchering)! And thank you to all my readers!

Here's hoping this chapter knocks your socks off.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

… **:::Of Comfort and Betrayal:::…**

* * *

"For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first." – Suzanne Collins

* * *

And again, Sakura was there to heal Itachi's eyes.

It was the next day. That day marked the tenth day of Itachi's stay at Kakashi's house. The twenty-seventh day Naruto had kept the man company. Sakura thought it was far too long. Naruto thought it was far too amusing.

"You won't need a sedative today," she said as Itachi eased himself into a sitting position. "I won't be doing too much, but it won't be painful."

"I do not mind anything," he replied lightly.

"Speaking of which, I've got your medicine."

She set a bag stuffed with boxes upon boxes of medicine by the bedside table. "Exactly what you've asked, with a few different kinds of vitamins thrown in to counterbalance the weakness you should feel when you take them. I'll help you administer the ones requiring a needle but you should probably tell me what's wrong with you so I can properly diagnose –"

Itachi held up his good hand in a polite gesture to cut her off. "Yuriko-san, I am eternally grateful for your efforts and will see that I pay you back as soon as I can. However, I ask that you focus on my eyes. Whatever ails me is not as important as my sight, and you have healed me spectacularly as it is."

Sakura grimaced despite the compliment. She had wanted to know what was wrong with him out of her own morbid medical curiosity. She had never seen a case that needed Itachi's specific concoction of medicine and analyzing his body with her chakra had proved useless in determining the source of his problems. It was as if it was some sort of disease with no previous recorded instances in medical history – none that she had come across in her studies, anyway.

"Murakami-san, Sho has told me how sick you've been –"

"Yuriko-san, please."

Itachi had practically begged her that time and from the stern, curt edge in his tone of voice, she knew she was beginning to cross a line. She sighed, finding Naruto staring at her from the doorway, and began to remove her gloves. The room was illuminated softly in a green haze as she tenderly grazed Itachi's forehead with her bare hands.

"You have certainly mastered your chakra for someone who is no longer a ninja," he spoke as she healed. There was a curiosity to his question, Sakura took note, but also what she might have called appreciation. "It must take quite a good amount of precision for you to be able to mend the muscles of my eyes."

"A precision that will be wasted if you speak."

"I apologize."

She sighed. "No, no, it's okay. I just don't want to injure you."

So Itachi stayed silent.

Shortly after, she had healed precisely what she had intended and moved to administer the long list of medicines beneath Itachi's guidance. It proved to be an extensive list: two large doses of immunosuppressant injections, steroids, two antibiotics, and four different types of vitamins. Sakura grew concerned as the items stacked up, and grew concerned at her _own_ concern for someone who she would gladly hand over to the Hokage as soon as Naruto grew tired of his inane attachment.

Itachi, unbothered at the mountain of medicine that had been pumped into him, reached into the pocket of his (Kakashi's) pants and pulled out a leaf. A waxy leaf. Naruto watched him with a grin as Itachi licked his lips.

"Yuriko-san, do you know how to play the leaf?"

Naruto burst with laughter.

To her surprise, Sakura laughed as well once Itachi let out the high-pitched _fwzoooooo_. Her laughter, however, quickly dissolved into a frown in a moment of clarity. Because Uchiha Itachi – psychotic murderer, Akatsuki member, mentally scarring Uchiha Itachi – was acting too human to believe.

She returned the next day. And the next. Combined, she and Naruto had learned so much about Uchiha Itachi and yet nothing of value. They knew he had manners that would put a Hyuuga to shame. They knew he was cryptically fond of his (imaginary?) little brother, knew he could play the leaf, knew he preferred two spoons of sugar in his tea, knew he was frighteningly intelligent and patient and tactful. Kakashi, however, would be returning the next day and, although he would be amused and his curiosity satiated, could not use such valueless information.

"Do you feel any different?" Sakura asked him during his twelfth day in Konoha.

"My right eye feels a little strange, a little better, but I still cannot see anything." It was the eye without the leftover scar, Sakura noted.

"It's fine. I just wanted to see if I was actually making some progress."

The next day, Sakura did not come before her hospital shift. She did not come after her hospital shift, either. Naruto told Itachi she was probably helping someone. Itachi, weak and drowsy with a new fever, hummed in reply and closed his sightless eyes. He heard Naruto telling him he would be right back before he fell asleep.

That night, as Naruto wandered through the marketplace, he thought he would make ramen for dinner. It had been so long since he had ramen. Itachi would surely not connect the two. The shops around him were beginning to turn on their lights to prepare themselves for the oncoming darkness. Lanterns lit up, lights illuminated in hazy pastel colors. The grocery store was just in his sight when he felt a hand pull on his shoulder.

Shikamaru.

Naruto had been about to greet him with a usual loud hello and a slap on the back – it had been so long since he had seen another rookie. Since he had seen someone _other_ than Itachi. But Shikamaru's eyes were serious, his mouth pulled into a thin line, no cigarette dangling at his lips.

"What's wrong?" Naruto blurted, nostalgic greeting stolen from his mouth.

"Sakura told me to get you. She's at the hospital. It's Kakashi."

Naruto ran without needing further explanation.

Record-breaking time. He made it, his heels practically leaving scorch marks in his haste. There was no hustle and bustle in the hospital with very few people in the waiting room, but there was a nurse with a mop and a bucket of bloodied water. She was cleaning the hospital entrance.

Naruto bounded through the halls, only to be stopped by a resident doctor.

"I need to see Hatake Kakashi," he told him with an attempted air of importance.

"Hatake-san is being taken care of. You will have to wait."

"No, you don't understand, I need to see him _now_."

" _You_ do not understand –"

But Naruto ducked beneath his arm and ran down the halls, not quite sure where he was going but rather following his instincts. The quick _stepstepstepstep_ of the shouting doctor behind him went unheard to his ears, deaf from the rush of adrenaline.

He found Kakashi's room.

And Sakura found him.

"I heard you were causing trouble," she said without the slightest hint of anger. She pushed him further from Kakashi's door. There was blood on her hands. Kakashi's blood, Naruto thought. They left cherry-red prints on the orange of his sweater.

"Sakura –"

"He's alive, Naruto. He's going to be all right. And I need you to see something, but you're going to have to wait until I get you, okay?"

He nodded because he trusted her. The doctor that had chased him finally caught up with him, hair askew and glasses in one hand as he glared at him. "Now, now, young man –"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you."

Naruto waited outside impatiently until Sakura came out, looking rather disheveled, hands pink from where the blood had been. She pushed a strand of sweaty hair from her eyes and beckoned Naruto over with a finger to her lips.

"You're not supposed to be here, but this is important."

When she opened the door to Kakashi's private room, Naruto stole a glance at the man's face. His mask was still intact. The blond shifted his glance to Sakura. "Did you . . .?" he whispered dutifully.

Sakura shook her head and grimaced. "He was conscious the whole time."

" _He_ is still conscious."

The slur came from Kakashi himself as the man turned his head to his students. There was a nasal cannula in his nose that preventing him from turning his head too much and his eyes – both revealed due to the absence of his headband – drooped.

"What _happened_?" whispered Naruto as he stood hesitantly in the doorway.

"Ambushed on my way back. One heck of a powerful thing."

Sakura beckoned Naruto over and put a hand to Kakashi's hip while the other gently removed the nasal cannula and set it aside temporarily. "I'd like to show Naruto, if you don't mind, sensei."

Kakashi grunted and turned on his side with Sakura's help. Naruto saw the bandages that wrapped themselves around Kakashi's bare torso, but it was not those wounds that Sakura wanted to draw his attention to. Her finger pointed to the straight line that ran down the length of Kakashi's spine. It snaked from the nape of his neck, disappeared beneath the swathe of bandages, and reappeared at the start of his pelvis, shining angrily in red.

Like the line Itachi had.

"Whoever it was was trying to torture Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura as she eased Kakashi back into his original position. "He, she, it – whatever it was – used the same method. It's very rare that you can find a person who knows how to do that."

"And you didn't see who it was?" asked Naruto.

"I didn't even have time to turn around." Kakashi released a heaving, dramatic sigh. "I'm getting _old_."

"I never had that line, even before Kyuubi healed me. So Itachi wasn't the only target?"

"Or there's something Itachi and Kakashi have in common."

"But Kakashi's not as bad off as Itachi. A few cuts and bruises."

"The enemy was injured," slurred Kakashi. "Very injured. One space-time jutsu and I was out of there."

"You're still awake after _that_ jutsu?" exclaimed Naruto incredulously. "Kakashi-sensei, I swear, if you don't sleep right now –"

But Kakashi was already fast asleep.

* * *

Naruto returned to the apartment through the blanket of darkness cast over by night. He paused several times during his trip, wondering if he should stop by the Hyuuga house to wait on the sidewalk in hopes of talking to Hinata, or even Neji. Or perhaps visit Ino in her flower shop, or wrestle with Kiba. Shikamaru's sudden appearance made him yearn for the company of his friends and he found it odd, he thought sadly, how he had not seen his other friends for several days. He made a vow to invite them to dinner when the mess with Itachi was sorted.

. . . One day.

The lights were off in the apartment. Naruto fumbled for the switches on the wall and banged his knee on the coffee table that had somehow gotten closer to his shin. Cursing loudly, he stumbled into Itachi's room and flicked on the lights. The man was just exiting the bathroom, a dark towel around his shoulders.

He had shaved.

Naruto laughed suddenly. "Can you feel that?"

Itachi stared curiously at him. "Feel what?"

The blond moved forward and pressed the edge of the towel around Itachi's neck to his chin. "You're bleeding." There were a few bleeding nicks along his chin and cheeks.

"Ah."

"But you did a pretty good job."

"Yes, well, it took me all of this afternoon. Tell Hitoshi-san I will repay him for the razor I used."

"It's okay, I'm not even sure if he uses them himself." Naruto wasn't lying. His eyes followed Itachi as the man hobbled to the bed and sat down on it, his fingers tapping the nicks on his chin and feeling the sting of the air. "Yuriko can't make it today, Ryo. She's pretty sick."

"She is not forced to come here. I am her patient, not her employer. Tell her she does not have to heal me so constantly."

"I thought you had a mission to fulfill?"

Itachi pulled his blood-stained fingertips away from his chin and wiped them on the towel around his neck. "I cannot simply come into a village and begin making outrageous demands. You are my hosts and must be treated with respect."

Naruto smiled. "There's something about you, Ryo. I can't place my finger on it."

Itachi smirked. "Likewise."

* * *

Naruto visited Kakashi in the afternoon when he knew the man had a better chance of being awake. He was. His silver-haired sensei sat up with difficulty, but the eccentric smiles were still in place as he lifted up a bandaged hand and said, "Yo."

"I've come to give you a mission report," Naruto said in his best impression of a serious ANBU.

"And your findings, soldier?" Kakashi played along.

Naruto looked from side to side, pretending to scan the area. He lowered his voice. "Whoever Taichi is, he cares about him. A lot."

"His alleged younger brother?"

"Sasuke."

Kakashi threw him a serious glance. "We can't be sure it's Sasuke, Naruto. We can't trust most of the information he says."

"I know, but just listen. He drops hints about it all the time. And he says that the first thing he's going to do when he gets his eyesight back is visit his little brother because if he dies, he wants to say bye to him first."

"I thought he said Taichi died?"

"That's the thing. He didn't mention a grave. He just said 'visit'."

Kakashi closed his eyes in thought. "So from what we have now, we can say Uchiha Itachi really cared about Sasuke? So why would he kill the rest of the Uchihas?"

"That's what brings me back to square one." His mouth twisted into a frown. "But he says the mission he's on now is his last reason to live. Maybe if we find out what this mission is . . ."

"I'm concerned, Naruto," his sensei said slowly. "With the healing Sakura is doing. I honestly didn't think she would go through with it, but now that she has, imagine what'll happen when he regains full use of his Sharingan. He'll be able to sense other chakra as well. And when that happens . . ."

The threat of death hung in the silence of their unsaid words.

Naruto said nothing more about the matter. He thought, when the time came, he would think of something. He was an impulsive, instinctive planner. Sitting and thinking of plans for the future like Shikamaru did not help him because he always ended up taking an entirely different route.

A memory suddenly slipped into his mind and his eyes brightened, head jerking up slightly. "Kakashi-sensei, ANBU tried to sneak into your house!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow slowly. ". . . Come again?"

"Root ANBU. Cheetah and Gorilla or whatever. I was taking care of Itachi when they came through the door. They called out your name and were a little surprised to see me, but they made up this excuse about hearing you were injured. Unless . . ." Naruto cocked his head to the side. ". . . they had an early report of you being injured?"

"They snuck in? . . . Through the front door?"

"They argued with me, saying I shouldn't be there, but I told them to get out and they just did." He rummaged through his pockets and produced the scroll he had brought, still sealed. "Gorilla told me to give you this."

Kakashi broke the seal and unraveled the scroll, not caring that Naruto was glancing over his arm at what should have been classified information.

 _Should_ have been.

Except the scroll was blank.

Kakashi briefly activated his Sharingan (wincing at the use of chakra) to see if there would be hidden words, but there was nothing. The scroll was blank. Useless.

"A decoy," Naruto growled at the revelation. "They really didn't think you'd be there. They knew you were on a mission."

Kakashi waved a hand magnanimously. "You should have invited them in for tea, Naruto. Where are your manners?"

". . . Why aren't you angry?"

Kakashi smiled. "Ah, now _that_ might be some classified information."

"Kakashi-sensei, what if they sensed Itachi's chakra? What if they knew it was him?" The panic was starting to pool in Naruto's stomach again. It had only been suppressed by the fact that if someone had sensed the chakra of someone as wanted as Uchiha Itachi, they would have surely confronted Naruto by now. Being faced with the terrifying memory of the ANBU, however, caused his emotions to resurface.

His sensei caught the symptoms of his panic and swooped to disperse them. "Itachi hasn't been in the village for a very long time, Naruto. The familiarity of his chakra presence all but disappeared years after his absence. Even if someone could sense what little chakra he emanates now, all they would feel is a dying, unfamiliar presence."

Kakashi's words eased Naruto; he knew his sensei could always make him feel better.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Kakashi continued, as if reading his student's thoughts, "Our little secret at home is as safe as can be. I made sure of it."

* * *

"Sho."

"Yeah, Ryo?"

"Is it possible to stretch my legs outside?"

Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. _Vroom vroom._

"You're not well enough, Ryo," Naruto replied calmly despite his racing heart.

"I can stand."

"Don't think I haven't seen the bloodstains all over the place." And he had, really. On tissues in the bathroom waste bin, on Itachi's hands, dried on his lips. He would need Sakura to check it over. Itachi's shoulders hunched ever-so-slightly and Naruto immediately took pity on the man who suddenly seemed devastatingly human. He sighed. "Look, if it helps, the window in your room opens up to a garden. You can stand by it."

Itachi swung his legs over the side of the bed without a moment to lose and struggled to stand. "I will take what I can get."

Naruto opened the window for him. The night air was refreshing, the cool breeze playing with his golden locks before he pulled away from the sight of the vast fields and allowed Itachi to stand in his place. He watched with interest. Itachi braced himself with both of his healing hands on the windowsill and tilted his head back so he could inhale the scent of the night. There was an emotion playing on his chapped lips that Naruto could not recognize.

Itachi's better hand was suddenly reaching out of the window. Naruto frowned. There was a tree whose branches hung partially in the frame of the window, but how had Itachi known it was there? Naruto wondered if trees had a particular smell, and if Itachi's nose was becoming more acute than an Inuzuka's.

 _Kwip._

Itachi pulled in the twig he had broken off and ran his fingers along its rough exterior. "You can make picture frames with this."

. . . What?

"What?" Naruto mimicked his confused thoughts.

"Picture frames." Itachi twirled the twig beneath his fingertips. "If you collect enough twigs of the same size and tie them together, you can slide a picture in between the cracks. You can even paint it different colors if you have the luxury."

 _Why is he telling me this?_

"You're . . . very random."

Itachi shrugged the comment off. "You try to teach yourself a few things when the only company you have for a while is your partner and the vast expanse of the forest."

Naruto smiled in spite of himself. "How long do you think it'll take to finish your mission and return to your village?"

The Uchiha turned back to the window and dropped the twig on the windowsill. The same unidentifiable expression Naruto had seen earlier toyed with his lips once again. "I do not feel like returning to my village any time soon."

Naruto frowned. "I didn't mean to put you off of the idea with all those talks we had."

"No, no," Itachi said quickly, "I had no intention of returning for quite a while." He inhaled deeply. "Too much bad blood."

"It doesn't sound like you had a pleasant stay."

Still facing the night sky, Itachi said, "I was never in control of how I wished to spend my time."

Blond eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean?"

"This extensive mission I am on? Someone had given it to me. And it began when I was very young."

 _What?!_ Naruto's throat went dry. His mouth struggled to form words, his mind suddenly incapable of forming thoughts. What next? What to say next? "You . . . you could've just declined the mission, couldn't you?"

"I had no choice."

Without thinking, Naruto blurted, "You're wrong."

He caught himself. His eyebrows were knitted together tightly in thought, the cogs of his mind overworking to fit the jagged pieces of Itachi's conversation together to form a puzzle whose picture he had not previously seen. Nonetheless, he truly believed what he was about to say.

"You always have a choice."

He watched the Uchiha's eyebrows raise in unison at the sudden proverbial phrase. Itachi lowered his head. Cocked it to one side. Thinking. Thinking.

"You are right, Sho," he said unexpectedly. "I had a choice. I was _given_ a choice. And there was a time when I believed I made the right one."

Naruto nodded unconsciously but the beating of his heart seemed to drown the din of the rest of the world. He wondered just what choice Itachi had made.

"Listen," he found himself saying instead, and a part of his consciousness told him to stop talking. Told him he would regret his words. Told him he was beginning to tread dangerous territory. He stared unwaveringly at the man who stood with his back to him and found it too easy to imagine another Uchiha in his place. "I know you try to hide it but I can see how much it bothers you that you're stuck here, Ryo. Not just in this room but in my village, too, while we heal you even though you're supposed to be getting on with a mission."

He swallowed briefly to prepare his throat for the next few sentences. He wanted to _mean_ them. Itachi turned his head a fraction in Naruto's direction, waiting patiently for the conversation to flow; one eyebrow perked in subtle curiosity.

"And I just want you to know," Naruto weighed his words, "that if you ever feel like you want to leave, just tell me, okay? I won't let anyone try and stop you if you just need to leave us all behind and move on." Then, with a hesitant smile he knew Itachi could not see, he added, "Promise."

The Uchiha turned so he faced Naruto completely and for a moment, Naruto thought his eyes were staring right into his own. Itachi leaned against the window and tucked his good hand under his armpit. There was a smile toying with his lips.

"I apologize if I may have offended you with my fidgeting," he began, the shadow of a smile still present. "As heartwarming as the gesture sounds, Sho, I have found my stay here to be quite pleasant. I see no reason to set off again anytime soon, especially with Yuriko-san making such great progress. That is, unless, I have overstayed my welcome?"

A grin weaseled its way into Naruto's expression and he moved to stand by Itachi at the window. The crisp early spring breeze washed over his face and he closed his eyes. "You can't possibly overstay your welcome with us. Who else is going to make me some spiced tomatoes? We can make you an honorary member of Little Fields! Put you to work once you've got your eyes healed!"

He looked to where Itachi was staring blankly into the distance and his heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt incredibly sober, staring at the shadow of a man who had once slaughtered his entire clan without batting an eye. There was an unreadable expression that wrinkled the skin around Itachi's eyes, like a smirk but something sadder, thought Naruto. Something sorrowful. Something regretful. He followed Itachi's gaze and looked across the fields of Konoha. His village.

 _Their_ village.

Itachi tilted his head to look up at the sky. "An honorary member of Little Fields," he repeated under his breath. "I would like that, Sho. I would like that very much."

Naruto did not smile back. His shoulders slumped and the smile disappeared from his lips.

Why was it that he was suddenly filled with stabbing guilt?

* * *

Two days, four hours of chakra pressing, eight tomatoes, three cartons of onigiri, and two incidents of hacking blood later, Naruto woke with a start from his position on the couch to the sound of someone stumbling blindly through the room. His hand flew instinctively under the couch cushion, grasping the hilt of a hidden kunai tightly in his fingers as he waited, attempting to assess the situation as his eyes tried to adjust to the new morning.

There was yet another dull _thud_ and someone hissed.

". . . Ryo?"

Naruto finally fixed his blurry gaze on a moving blob of darkness that hit into the edge of the opposite couch and toppled over rather ungracefully. The blond struggled to stifle his laughter. It was Itachi – Itachi, who had just fallen uncharacteristically clumsily onto the floor and was trying to stand.

"What's going on?"

" _Sho_."

Itachi's voice was laced with distinct excitement. It was the first time Naruto heard the emotion in the otherwise stoic Uchiha. Excitement. Subtle and restrained, he thought, but still there.

"Sho," Itachi repeated again, as if the first mention did not catch Naruto's attention. "I can distinguish between night and day."

"What?"

"Night and day. If I stare into the light, I can tell. My sight – it gets brighter."

Naruto was unsure of whether to smile or frown. He settled on smiling, because the sight of Itachi on his knees by the couch, mouth twisted into a smirk bordering on a smile, frightening eyes open and round, was too much not to laugh.

"Really?!" he exclaimed, the emotion almost entirely sincere.

Itachi turned to the left in contemplation. "More so in my right eye, but still, Sho. My eyes are healing. I must thank Yuriko-san."

And thank her he did. He took Sakura's hands when she came, excitement officially restrained, and thanked her. She told him she was happy and that she would do her best to make sure his vision returned to perfection.

And then she dragged Kakashi and Naruto outside of the house entirely so she could meet with them.

"We need to come up with a better plan," she said urgently as Kakashi toed the grass in his flip flops and as Naruto glanced up worriedly at the house in hopes Itachi did not think something was suspicious. "If I heal him more, he's going to be able to distinguish shapes, and I think we have some pretty prominent body features."

"We need to figure out how to bring Sasuke here. And soon," said Naruto.

"And then what?" retorted Sakura. "Have Konoha turn to ash because two Uchihas decided to go at it?"

"Well, technically, only Sasuke would put up such a large fight," Kakashi jumped in. He had returned from the hospital the day before, still bandaged but better off than Itachi, a classified mission report sitting on Tsunade's desk elsewhere. He had refused to discuss his ambush further with his students, not for lack of trust but because his mission had forbidden it. "Itachi's strong, but too weak to hold up long."

"Lure Itachi into the forest?"

"There's no guarantee Sasuke will stay in Konoha once he wins his prize. Itachi, at this point, is better as a source of information than as a bargaining chip."

"We can't have him killed," Naruto concluded. "Not while Sasuke is still out there."

"So we're back to square one: extract as much information as we can."

Kakashi looked to his two students with his shoulders a little more slumped than usual. He was tired. Very tired. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but we're reaching the end of our little project. We might be in actual danger the longer he stays from here on out. I think we need to welcome the idea and prepare ourselves for giving Itachi up to the Hokage very soon."

He had honestly expected more protest from Naruto but the blond was oddly silent. Perhaps even he had realized they were rapidly approaching a dead end to their plans. So Team 7 stopped thinking. It had become too much. They could taste the completion of their team at the tips of the tongues. They knew they had the power to do it, but they just didn't know how to complete the process.

The three of them headed back to the house with a sudden lethargy to their steps.

* * *

Morning came and brought Sakura with it. Naruto left to shop for supplies with Shikamaru accompanying him, having finally grown to miss his friends too much. Kakashi was off to another meeting despite Sakura protesting that he should rest. And so she was alone, again, with Uchiha Itachi.

"I did not think you would be able to heal my eyes," he said as he lifted himself from the bed. She had just finished another round of injecting medicines and healing without the use of a sedative. "I cannot thank you enough."

Sakura smirked. "Your eyes are quite attractive," she lied ( _but was she really lying?_ ), "and you've got the longest eyelashes I've ever seen. It'd be a shame to have them ruined."

He was more active. He was getting up. Moving around. He had memorized almost every square inch of Kakashi's home that he was allowed to come into contact with.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked as he exited the guestroom. She followed him and sat on the couch by Kakashi's shelves with her legs crossed at her knee.

"No, thank you." She watched him, visible from the bar of the kitchen as he poured water into the kettle with a minimal amount of groping blindly. "You are quite the well-mannered person," she continued. "Your parents must have raised you well."

"They died when I was young," Itachi replied without skipping a beat.

 _Because you murdered them,_ Sakura added in her head, a soft smile on her face masking her thoughts.

"Nonetheless," Itachi continued, "it is common knowledge that one must treat a lady with respect."

 _Well then_ , was all Sakura thought.

She busied herself with staring at Kakashi's shelves, finding it was packed with scrolls of all sorts, held up by the occasional graphic novel or – she smiled – a teddy bear. Itachi had finished pouring his tea rather deftly into his cup and began making his way over to the couches.

"Yuriko-san, do you –"

Sakura turned around at the sudden, dull _thud_ of something heavy hitting the carpet. Her eyes widened in alarm when she found that it was Itachi who had collapsed, the cup of scorching tea by his limp hand and its contents soaking into the dark carpet. She rushed over to him and knelt by his side as he struggled to his knees.

A single violent cough erupted from his chest and he found himself on the floor again, blood painting the palm of his hand in a sickly coat of crimson. Ironically, his body relaxed immediately and he took several shuddering breaths.

Sakura turned him over so that he lay on his back and yanked her gloves from her hands. "I hope something hasn't been punctured," she said before she gathered his shirt at his collarbones to check on his chest. Itachi was drifting in and out of consciousness. "No, Murakami-san. Don't go to sleep. Stay conscious."

Itachi opened his mouth but was too tired to speak. He closed his eyes.

Sakura slipped her hand from his chest to slap his cheek lightly. "Stay with me, Murakami-san. Speak to me. Tell me something about your life." She needed to keep him active, awake, alert.

"I had a girlfriend," Itachi breathed out harshly, teeth gritting together from the very effort it took.

"Yeah?" Sakura asked, not even bothering to question the nature of the topic. Her hands worked their way around his abdomen, feeling for any sort of irritation. There was something wrong with his kidneys. "What was her name?"

"Izumi."

"That's a pretty name."

"She was a pretty girl."

His flesh was warm beneath her glowing fingertips but he shuddered, goose bumps raising the delicate hairs along his body.

"Did you break up?"

"No." He paused, breathing. "She died."

Sakura stopped abruptly so she could stare at him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, but her eyes were wide at the subtle hint of emotion that had managed to weasel its way into Itachi's voice.

"It's okay," Itachi continued, and she continued with her work. "I was thirteen."

"You haven't had another girlfriend since then?"

Itachi smirked in spite of the pain, the expression ominous with the red of his lips. "I fear I do not appeal to too many people."

"That's quite difficult to believe."

Sakura quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. They were warm, from where they had been taking in Itachi's body heat. The Uchiha was very silent, his breathing stilling. Sakura's breathing was quickened, heart beating too fast, too fast.

"You are quite the pleasant person yourself," Itachi whispered unsurely in the silence.

Sakura was still staring at him. Her vision went from seeing Itachi – injured, shaven, still unbelievably handsome Uchiha Itachi – to Sasuke. Itachi. Sasuke. Itachi. Sasuke. Something pulled at her heart strings. She found herself leaning far too close to Itachi, as if his very body was magnetic, as if she wanted to see up close just what made him so captivating.

"Yuriko-san . . ." Itachi breathed out when he felt her draw nearer.

Sakura felt his body tense beneath her fingertips and she leaned closer still. Something about the way he said her name – _her_ name? – about the way he treated her, about the way he looked and reminded her of Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Her lips parted so she could breathe from her mouth because her chest was suddenly constricted. Their noses were aligned, barely an inch apart, his breath steady against her lips, the faint scent of strawberries fresh in his mouth from the ice cream he and Naruto had concocted but marred by the coppery tang of blood.

Then suddenly, suddenly, Itachi brought a hand to the back of her head. She thought in horror, _This is it. I've gone too far. He's going to force me to kiss him and then he's going to rape me and murder me and –_

He gently tipped her head down so that her chin tucked against her neck and he planted a tender kiss against her forehead.

And that was it.

Sakura stood up instantly, very abruptly. She grabbed Itachi's good arm and practically yanked him up. "I'll help you to bed," she said too fast, too fast, as her heart went _vroom vroom_ because Uchiha Itachi had just _kissed her on her forehead._

"Yuriko-san –"

"Nonsense, you need to rest."

It was an odd mess of limbs as she led Itachi to his bed and practically threw him onto it, slamming his door closed. With a hasty goodbye, she turned around to leave, wiping at the residual blood on her forehead from where Itachi's lips had dared to touch her, and wrenched the door open.

Naruto was there.

He smiled at her, his hands filled with groceries. Sakura tried to push through him.

"Sakura?" he asked in sudden urgency.

"I have to go."

She left.

There were tears in her eyes.

* * *

That night, Naruto sat with Itachi and Kakashi. They were gathered in the guestroom, Itachi on the bed and Kakashi and Naruto surrounding him on stools. Asuma's shogi set was in the center of all three of them, in front of Itachi on the bed, and Naruto was currently beating Kakashi.

"You're kidding," said Kakashi. "Shouji, how are you possibly beating me?"

Naruto grinned. "Ryo taught me a few moves during the times we've played."

"That's cheating!"

"No it's not! Accept defeat for once in your life, old man!"

Kakashi sent him a glance that told him that he would pay dearly for the comment but that, for now, he would let him get away with it. "If you beat me, Sho, I'll starve you for days."

"You can't do that!"

"Or can I?"

"Do not worry, Sho," Itachi interjected, smirking. "I will cook for you."

Naruto looked at him in relief. Since Sakura had left the house abruptly, the Uchiha had been incredibly tense and quieter than usual. It was pleasant to see him with a smirk on his face at last.

Kakashi frowned. "Murakami-san, I would greatly appreciate it if you allowed me to retain whatever shred of dignity I have left by allowing me to defeat my nephew."

"Of course, Hitoshi-san." Itachi reached out to touch the wooden pieces on the board. "Sho, you can defeat Hitoshi-san in a single move."

"What?! Where?"

"Murakami-san!"

"Oh! Found it!"

"Murakami-san!"

"I got you!"

Kakashi rubbed one hand over his face. Naruto would never let him live this down.

"One of these days, Murakami-san, I'm going to get you back."

Itachi smirked.

And then the window shattered.

The cracking of the window was unmistakable in the short silence that followed the banter. Shards of glass flew everywhere. Instinctively, the three occupants of the room ducked from the onslaught of broken window: Itachi tumbled over the bed and held a pillow in front of him like a shield, Naruto rolled backwards and brandished his stool like a weapon, and Kakashi crouched low, two kunai already in hand.

Several figures flew through the fragmented frame at once and landed with ease. Two other figures perched threateningly on the sill.

ANBU.

Naruto's eyes widened. Kakashi was up in a fighting stance, alert, goose bumps dotting his skin and hackling his hair. The second he saw the painted porcelain masks, he knew their cover had been blown. The secret was up.

This was their end.

"What are you doing here?" he spat harshly regardless, not bothering to look at either Naruto or Itachi.

No one answered him. In a flurry of movement, Itachi was instantaneously surrounded by several gloved hands, pulling him in all directions, forcing him off the bed so that he landed on the ground in a harsh thump.

"Ryo!" Naruto called out, still in character, still attempting to salvage what little secrecy they had left.

"Sho!"

Itachi was shouting, struggling against his unknown captors. His eyes were wide. Naruto could see what frightened him more than it frightened Itachi:

Itachi was scared.

Subtly. Restrained, as were all his emotions. But it was there, in his unseeing eyes, unmistakable in the chaos around them.

Fear.

"Sho! _Sho!_ "

They were dragging him away. Kakashi futilely attempted to block their path, but someone had suddenly wrenched his hands behind his back with bone-breaking strength and he knew better than to resist. They were lifting Itachi. Pulling his hands together. Tying them.

"Sho!" he tried to scream into the eternal darkness. " _Sho!"_

Naruto was struggling wildly against the ANBU that tried to restrain him. He was growing more and more frantic, more and more out of control.

More and more desperate.

He growled at them and slashed aimlessly with elongated fingernails, eyes flashing, canines growing, until he heard an unfamiliar voice cut cleanly through the chaos:

"Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, you are under arrest for harboring missing-nin Uchiha Itachi. The Hokage demands your presence immediately."

The look on Itachi's face would haunt Naruto forever.

The Uchiha's face hardened. His eyes narrowed; once filled with emotion, round in desperation, they suddenly seemed to have the life in them wink out of existence to leave behind dull pupils. Emotionless. He looked in the direction he _knew_ Naruto stood in and no longer screamed his name. Instead, he whispered, "Naruto."

And he was gone.


	11. Of Traitors and Punishment

**A/N:** YOU GUYS. 12 reviews last chapter?! You're AMAZING. I'm so overwhelmed with joy! A big thanks to **your kidney 4lunch '3** , **chidoripotato** , **kayna96** , **TheRoadtoHell666** , **infinite eternity** , **Cryzis** , **bg28** , **NilrebFromMot** , **toorealreality** , and the 3 **Guests** who reviewed!

This chapter is extra long because I was motivated by your reactions to last chapter's cliffhanger, so I hope I do it justice. Also please keep in mind the shady backstory of the Elders when reading to help put things into perspective.

Also, to address a few concerns, this story is **NOT ITA/SAKU.** There is currently no Itachi-Sakura pairing, nor will there ever be. Sorry to the fans of those two but I just can't see it manifesting despite what this story has you believe.

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

… **:::Of Traitors and Punishment:::…**

* * *

"Criminals do not die by the hands of the law. They die by the hands of other men." – George Bernard Shaw

* * *

It happened so quickly.

Itachi was gone by that point. Naruto, struggling against the ANBU that held him as they jumped through the shattered window, could only wonder if they would kill him then and there, no questions asked. He couldn't have asked questions even if he wanted to; someone had cast a seal on him and Kakashi that stole their voices away no matter how desperately he wanted to cry out. He struggled so violently and became such a threatening vision – his canines growing longer and longer and his eyes reddening – that they knocked him unconscious with a swift hit to the tender vital point at his neck.

When he came to, he was in Tsunade's office. Without Tsunade. Someone was crying. There was a lot of shouting, faint and distant. He could not quite tell what was going on; his vision swam before his eyes, blurred from the hit to the base of his skull, but he turned his head – when had he ended up on the floor? He found he couldn't move his hands from behind his back.

Sakura was crying. Naruto turned to stare at her, eyes round. Her face was contorted as she sobbed unabashedly. Kakashi was there, too, hands bound and kneeling next to Naruto from their position on the floor, in front of Tsunade's desk that seemed far too large in that moment. He kept staring straight ahead, gray eyes trained on the desk, silent. From the way he was slightly hunched, Naruto could tell one of his old wounds had reopened.

"Naruto," sobbed Sakura. He vaguely wondered if their voices had returned. "It wasn't me."

Right.

Naruto had thought, for a fleeting moment, that Itachi had done something to Sakura since he had seen her crying and she had gone off to tell Tsunade. It had been a fleeting thought that had soon been forgotten that day when he questioned Itachi's health, but the notion resurfaced at the moment of their demise. He nodded his head, believing her. But if she hadn't done it . . .?

"Then how . . .?" he asked, surprised that his voice had come out. He tried to sit up. His head was throbbing. Too many things were going on too fast, too fast –

"ANBU sensed his chakra on a routine check."

That was Danzo. Naruto could recognize his chilling baritone anywhere.

The Elders walked into the room, their presence important and overbearing. Naruto choked on the tension that wafted in from behind them. Tsunade was there. Naruto felt himself cower unconsciously; her presence was not important and overbearing like the Elders, it was angry. Infuriated. She looked about ready to explode in a storm to end the village.

And then Itachi came in.

Or rather, was dragged in. Quite literally by his arms, one of them clearly dislocated. Naruto's eyes grew wide; Itachi looked similar to the condition he had been when the blond had first met him. Trails of blood followed his body and pooled into the carpet when he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground on Naruto's right side. The man was conscious but said nothing, simply keeping his head down. He struggled to get into a kneeling position with his hands and feet bound in chakra-suppressing shackles.

The second the door was closed, Tsunade exploded. The fuse had reached its core and suddenly, there were fireworks.

"You _idiots!"_ she bellowed so loudly that the windows rattled. Naruto quite honestly feared for what she could do, vaguely musing _'idiots_ ' was not the insult he would have picked to start off the conversation.

Kakashi said nothing. Did nothing. Naruto shifted uncomfortably in the bindings, attempting to sit like Itachi. His legs were growing numb. Sakura was crying silently at the wrath of betraying her own master.

"What did you think you were _doing_?! _Huh?!_ " Tsunade's head whipped around so fiercely her pigtails lashed at her face. She smashed a hand into her desk and it protested beneath her power before promptly splitting in two. She did not flinch, nor did she give any indication that she had noticed. "Did you think you were completing Team 7 again?! _Answer me!_ "

Silence.

She strode forward in one long step and bent down so that her manicured fingers could latch onto Itachi's hair. Once again Naruto's mind wandered from the grave situation and he found himself thinking about the fact that Itachi's hair had managed to grow out enough to be grabbed. Tsunade violently jerked Itachi's head back from the ground and shook it. The man gave no reaction other than a long, long stare in Naruto's direction with his blind, blind eyes.

"Does he look like Sasuke to you?!"

She had said it. The forbidden name. The wanted name. The yearned name. Naruto dropped his eyes from Itachi to stare at the floor, ashamedly thinking _Yes. Yes, he does look like Sasuke._

"Harboring a missing-nin! You _fools!_ And of all people, _Uchiha fucking Itachi?!_ I have _no words_! Do you remember the damage I had to undo the _last_ time he was in Konoha? Have you outright _lost your goddamn minds?_ _!_ " She shoved his head back into the carpet of her office, back into the pool of blood that had accumulated beneath his chin. "You could all be executed! Thrown in _jail_ if you're not!" She pointed a finger in Kakashi's direction. "Hatake Kakashi, you have better judgment! In your _house_ of all places like some sort of tea party setup?!" Sakura's direction. "Sakura, I'm _so disappointed in you_." And then she turned to Naruto and narrowed her eyes. "But you, brat," and for once, she meant the insult, "I'm not surprised at all. And that's the most disappointing part of this whole ordeal."

She sat with a large huff behind her broken desk and put her head in her hands in defeat. "How do I even _deal_ with you three? What on _earth_ were you thinking?" She looked to Itachi with all the hate she could muster in a single glance. Uchiha Itachi. If she could blame the whole situation on the hypnotic powers of his eyes, she would. But she couldn't. She couldn't blame red when all she could see was telltale milky gray.

She turned to the Elders. "You three are oddly silent."

Naruto noticed Itachi's head lift ever-so-slightly at that.

Koharu, the only female of the Elders, shifted her shoulders back and forth. Back and forth. She placed her hands behind her back, one set of gnarled fingers in the other. "Due to the nature of the situation, Tsunade, we will have them placed in the cells until we can discuss this further in private."

"The cells –" Tsunade had begun, but Homura, the other male of the Elders, quickly interjected with, "Do not let the emotions attached to your relationship with these three cloud your decision-making, Tsunade. They will be placed in the cells. Uchiha Itachi will be placed in solitary confinement until a conclusion for future actions is reached."

A nod from Danzo was the equivalent of permission to manhandle Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi. The ANBU (Root ANBU, Naruto noted bitterly, or else they would not have been treated the way they were) yanked the three up by the chains between their hands and began moving them from the room. Naruto looked to where Itachi lay, appearing rather defeated with his head against his own blood but making no move otherwise in protest.

"Itachi," he tried to say, to get the man's attention as he was forced from the room. "Itachi!"

The Uchiha did not even blink.

Naruto would not cease to apologize, down in the cells of Konoha where the stale air suffocated them and the dampness seeped into their clothes from where they sat on equally damp tatami mats. He looked to the silent Kakashi and the silently sobbing Sakura with his eyebrows drawn together and up in sympathy, words of sorrow and sorry tumbling from his mouth a mile a minute.

"Naruto," Kakashi spoke at last in his calming, calming voice. He offered his student a lopsided smile. "We knew what we were getting into. It's okay."

"Well, it's obviously not!" exclaimed Naruto, gesturing to the cell they were currently in with his newly released hands.

"What's the worst they can do for harboring Itachi? Kill us?"

"Yes!"

Kakashi turned to stare at the ceiling with indifference. "Not likely." He waved a lazy hand at Naruto. "You're a jinchuuriki." At Sakura. "Tsunade's prodigy." At himself. "They, perhaps, might dispose of me, as I am getting rather old and particularly useless."

"Says the man who's mastered a thousand jutsus," Sakura added quietly.

"So what're they going to do with us? Keep us here?"

Kakashi finally turned to stare at him, an odd, knowing twinkle in his exposed eye. "They're most likely going to set us free." He shrugged and turned back to place his hands on his knees. "With probation, of course. No missions for a while and all that jazz. Lots of stern lectures."

Naruto shook his head furiously. "No, you two can't get probation. It's all my fault. You have to tell them that when they ask you, okay? You have to say that I was the one who brought Itachi in, and that I asked for _your_ help, and that I _threatened_ you –"

"Naruto!" cried Sakura.

"- And that you were forced to take care of him for me, but tried to extract information from him all the same, but just make sure they understand it's _my fault_ and I'll deal with the consequences later."

"And have them, what, think you're attempting to single-handedly take down Konoha? Join the Akatsuki? Do you understand how the Elders may possibly twist this situation around to insure you're controlled? You've got the Nine Tails in you, Naruto. Don't think they won't give you any reason to keep you inside of this village with the Akatsuki out there."

Before they could argue about the situation further, ANBU stood at the door of the cell and beckoned Kakashi to join them for their first bout of questioning. Naruto stared at him long and hard, begging him silently to follow with the story he had instructed and blame him. Kakashi smiled that frustrating, eye-crinkling smile of his and disappeared with the ANBU.

The time Kakashi spent away was spent in silence in the cell with Naruto and Sakura. Neither said a word. Naruto had shifted closer to Sakura and Sakura had shifted closer to Naruto, unconscious attempts to provide company for the other and a source of warmth in the otherwise cold and cruel cell. Eventually, Sakura rested her head against Naruto's shoulder out of sheer exhaustion. The blond frowned and rested his own head against hers.

They stayed like that for a while. It had taken a while to interrogate – _No_ , thought Naruto, _they weren't interrogating. They had nothing to hide. They were merely questioning. Asking._ – Kakashi; either that, or they had simply lost track of the time. Kakashi eventually returned, unscathed other than the injuries he had already sustained. Naruto had no time to ask him what he had said. He was promptly whisked away next by the ANBU that handled him rougher than Kakashi had been handled.

He was led down the narrow, dimly lit hall of cells – cells that were all empty and that Naruto narrowed his eyes at. He turned his head to one particular door, guarded by three ANBU, metal and thrice bolted with only a shut sliding window. Naruto knew.

Itachi was in there.

Naruto was shoved none-too-gracefully into a square room at the end of the hall where there was a single chair in the center beneath a lamp that hung precariously on a fraying wire. The rest of the room was shrouded in darkness, like most of the things in that part of Konoha, from which a very familiar man emerged. _Ibiki_ , he recalled vaguely. _From the Chuunin exams._

He wondered why they couldn't simply have had someone else ask him questions other than the head of the Interrogation Squad. It wasn't like he had anything to hide. He was going to tell them everything.

Danzo was also there, half of him blending in with the shadows and the other half of him flickering with the flickering light. Tsunade was there, too, looking far too tired.

"Uzumaki," Ibiki said simply. "Sit."

Naruto sat.

"You understand why you're here."

Naruto crossed his arms freely over his chest. "I'll answer whatever you want. There really isn't anything to hide."

Ibiki smirked. Several of the scars on his face smirked with him. "Well, then, let's start with the basics. Why don't you tell us how you met the Uchiha."

So Naruto did, starting with "In the forest, while on a mission, which –" and he shot Tsunade a wry glance "- wasn't really a mission, but that's besides the point" and ending with ". . . naked, beaten, shaved, and . . . well, you've seen him."

"What made you think to take care of him?"

"I didn't know it was him for the first day."

He told them about how he had promised to help the injured man. And because he knew they would ask, he told them why he had continued to care for him upon discovering he was Uchiha Itachi. He told them about his plan – unfinished, unsure – to lure Sasuke to Itachi, to bring him home.

"You can't kill him," Naruto said levelly. "You can't kill Itachi until Sasuke comes back."

"Sasuke's not coming back, Uzumaki," Ibiki answered indifferently.

Naruto closed his mouth briefly in a tight, thin line. "You don't know that."

"Naïve child."

"Ignorant man."

Ibiki smirked.

"How did you find him, in the end?" Naruto shot the question at Danzo, meeting him with narrowed eyes. Tsunade's head perked up at his insolence. "He hasn't been in the village long enough for most people to recognize his chakra signature. ANBU shouldn't have been able to tell from just a check. How did you know –?"

"I do not answer to a criminal," Danzo bit at him. "It isn't your business to know, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."

Naruto bristled in anger at the title. "My name is _Naruto_ , and you –"

"Naruto, please." He glanced at Tsunade. She suddenly looked older, far more tired than usual, her eyes pleading with him. _Please don't make this any worse than it already is._

When they had sucked him dry of information, they tossed his empty shell back into the cellar in exchange for Sakura. Kakashi toed him gently, gently in the thigh. Naruto kept his head against the cool concrete of the cellar floor. Sakura came back sooner than expected.

Silence ensued.

A lot of it.

Hours passed. Kakashi sat against the wall of the cellar, not thinking about what would become of them but rather of what would become of Itachi, and of Naruto if his plan to return Sasuke failed (which, he continued to think, it probably would, and Kakashi dreaded the moment when he would have to pick up Naruto's shattered pieces and put him together. Again.). He spread his legs out in front of him. As time passed, Naruto had somehow ended up on his back, on the floor, with his head cushioned by one of Kakashi's thighs. More time passed, and Sakura was resting her head against Naruto's chest. Their bodies made an imperfect Z-shaped figure on the floor.

There was the noisy _ccccccrrraaaaaaank_ of the opening of the cellar doors that pushed Naruto from an uneasy slumber. Danzo walked in flanked by two ANBU that soon moved in front of him.

"Hatake Kakashi," he said in a tone of obvious condescension. "Haruno Sakura. You are to be released."

"And Naruto?" asked Sakura as the ANBU entered the cell to pull her up.

"Uzumaki Naruto is to remain here."

"For what reasons?" Kakashi said in his usual voice, although there was a snappish bark laced in his words. "I told you he was not to blame. I let him use my home. Only I could have put those seals in place. I, too, took care of Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto turned to stare at him, wanting to tell him _I told you not to! You were supposed to blame me!_ Kakashi replied by squeezing his hand in reassurance.

"The decisions of the Elders are none of your concern, Hatake."

They were shoved from the room before they could question further. Naruto said nothing. He stared at Danzo, stared long and hard, attempting to connect Itachi's sudden interest in conversation at their mention. Danzo did not even bother looking at him, did not bother speaking to him, did not bother breathing the very air he breathed. He turned around and left, his ANBU following behind him like the dogs on their masks.

Naruto slept and woke up in the cell.

He woke up to a familiar voice calling him from a distance. At first, he had imagined it was a dream of some sort. Blinking his eyes, lifting his head and feeling his neck crick, he looked towards where someone's cream-colored hands were waving through the bar.

"Naruto! Sleeping at a time like this . . .! Naruto!"

Sakura. She was there, arms reaching through the bars, calling his name in a harsh whisper. Naruto finally raised his head and managed to get into a seated position despite the protests of his aching back. Their hands met and he relished in the familiar warmth of her skin.

"I don't have too much time," she said quickly as he inched his way towards her with their hands still together, mind still hazed with sleep. "They're bringing in medics to oversee Itachi's healing during interrogations. They won't allow me to do it because I apparently can't be trusted."

Naruto, quite frankly, was simply surprised Uchiha Itachi had still been allowed to live.

"But I've got a plan to talk to him. Tsunade brought me in to explain to her and the team what sort of healing I've been doing and what happened with his body. If my plan works, do you want me to tell him anything?"

Naruto rested his head against the bars of the cell for a few moments, feeling the contrasting coolness of the metal against the sweat of his bangs and rolling her hands around between his. He opened his cotton-filled mouth, tongue parched, and said, "Sorry. Tell him I'm sorry."

Sakura looked at him with an expression he could not decipher in the clouds of sleep.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah."

She squeezed his hands comfortingly. "You'll be out of here soon. I promise. They can't hold you in here for too long. They're going to have to understand."

Naruto smiled at her. "At least you're not in here with me."

She laughed. Softly. Pityingly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Naruto fell asleep again with his head against the bars. The only thing on his mind was his contemplation of Itachi's death, of how he could possibly get out of this situation that he had put the both of them in, and that Itachi, under any circumstances, _couldn't die_. He couldn't.

* * *

If ever there was a moment when Sakura questioned her loyalty more over the past two weeks, it was as she stared down her nose at the prone figure of Uchiha Itachi shackled helplessly to the wall of his solitary cellar. They were almost completely engulfed in darkness but she could see the glint of metal around his wrists from where his arms were suspended in air. The knees of the once handsome Uchiha had long since given out, leaving him half-kneeling as far as his arms would allow, crumpled and looking awfully small and frail without Kakashi's clothes to swallow him. He had been stripped of all his clothing and outfitted in an unfastened straitjacket and plain prison pants short enough to reveal the chains around his ankles that kept his chakra at bay. A strip of cloth with a hand-drawn seal covered his eyes in a redundant attempt to blind an already blind man.

"Sakura."

Tsunade's clipped command broke through her thoughts and she turned to meet her master's curious glance. Tsunade had eased her anger after Sakura's brief interrogation, during which the pink-haired girl had explained how she had needed to heal Itachi to keep him as a vital source of information after Naruto had brought him back. When it became obvious she had intended to do more good than harm for Konoha, despite being what Tsunade had deemed _incredibly misguided_ , Tsunade had requested Sakura's experience in dissecting the Uchiha.

Hopefully, Sakura thought, not literally.

There were two medic-nins standing behind her, their eyes revealing unbridled fear at being so close to someone as notorious as Uchiha Itachi. Sakura mentally scoffed. The Elders had hand-picked the medics from a squadron specifically trained to handle prison healing but they were clearly still in training; no doubt the elders had wanted someone with as little experience as possible so that the Uchiha would not be able to be completely healed between interrogations. They wouldn't afford Itachi the luxury of a full recovery.

Tsunade was unhinging the shackles from around Itachi's wrists. Sakura tried not to roll her eyes as the inexperienced medics took steps back in caution; she had to remind herself of Itachi's reputation, and that not everyone had had the pleasure of being close enough to Itachi to kiss.

She felt the ghost of his lips on her forehead and shuddered.

That had been their last communication, she remembered. The last time she had talked to him, he had kissed her. Then that same night, ANBU had swooped in to arrest her privately as she was washing her hands from surgery and ushered her out of the hospital without causing a scene before they had wrenched her arms behind her back and half-dragged her to the Hokage Tower.

And now she stood over Itachi, unsure if he was even conscious to experience her company again.

The last of the shackles fell away and Itachi immediately crumpled to the floor without a sound. Sakura worked with Tsunade to spread his body face-down. With the belts of the straitjacket unbuckled, his back was fully exposed, covered in fresh bruises.

Danzo appeared in the entrance of the door, holding up a lantern to bask the room in a warm glow. In the light, Sakura could see the unnatural bend of Itachi's arm. She leaned over to prod it gently and barely heard the soft grunt of discomfort that escaped Itachi's lips.

 _So he_ is _conscious_.

Tsunade spared Danzo a second's glance before she placed her hands on Itachi's bare back. The Uchiha, she had made sure, was of no threat to them. He was under _her_ mercy. He would be _her_ specimen to observe. Her finger trailed the healing line by Itachi's spine. "Is this the line you talked about?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Kakashi-sensei had one too." Her fingers lightly brushed against Itachi's shoulder blades and she felt him stiffen beneath her touch. "There were nail marks here." They moved further up. "Two stab wounds here, one definitely kunai and the other from a scalpel." Further down. "Lash marks, makeshift whip."

She continued to graze over every inch of Itachi's skin she had memorized in her days of healing, detailing the list of injuries to Tsunade with Danzo and the two medics overseeing. Tsunade wanted to understand the condition Itachi had been in and the wounds he had sustained – for what reason, Sakura could not fathom, but her gut feeling told her it tied in to Kakashi's recent string of missions.

When she was done mapping out his back, Sakura gently turned Itachi over. He did not resist despite Sakura knowing he was conscious. The man simply set his mouth in a thin line. Sakura wondered what he must be thinking. Did he know he was days away from death? Did he realize how grave his situation was?

Did he hate them?

Did he hate _her_?

She applauded the steadiness of her fingers as she lifted the blindfold from Itachi's eyes and forcefully lifted his eyelids so Tsunade could inspect the damage up close. One of the medics gasped at the sight, but Sakura was far too used to the scarred irises to let it faze her anymore. Itachi's eyes flickered from side-to-side with nothing to settle on. His pupils were still cloudy from the damage Sakura had yet to heal, reminding her of the famous Hyuuga coloration; the right one (she noted with pride) was clearing up significantly.

Sakura gently released his eyelids and reflexively moved her thumbs to massage the area. She caught herself quickly, hoping Tsunade hadn't taken notice. Luckily, Tsunade seemed mesmerized.

"He's completely blind?" she asked in awe as she took Itachi's face into her own hands to inspect the damage up close.

"He can't even activate his Sharingan or read chakra signatures." She remembered the delight in Itachi's expression when he had thanked her after discovering he could distinguish between night and day and decided to leave the detail out. Itachi cocked his head ever-so-slightly and somehow Sakura just _knew_ he was thinking the same.

Danzo's voice suddenly rang hollowly in the room. "What is an Uchiha without his eyes?"

There was something about Danzo that raised the delicate hairs along Sakura's arm as the man leaned closer to Itachi's face so he could inspect it by the light of his lantern.

"An Uchiha is an Uchiha because of the blood in his veins."

Itachi's unexpected reply momentarily stunned the occupants of the cell. His words seemed to hang heavily in the air. Sakura found herself mentally relieved to hear the velvet of his voice in spite of herself. Not once had she heard him speak since they had been discovered. She had been terrified he had finally been broken, had finally resigned himself to his death. To hear him speak so easily against his captors – and about Uchiha pride of all things – released some of the tension she had been holding.

It was nice to hear his voice again.

Danzo sneered. "You would know all about the blood of Uchihas, Itachi. It is on _your_ hands."

"Masami-chan," Sakura quickly interjected, feeling the tension of the room return and noticing the way Itachi's body seemed to tighten. "Erika-chan, make sure not to touch his eyes when you are healing him. The blood vessels around them are extremely sensitive and induce seizures immediately. You'll want to stay away no matter the damage."

Tsunade glanced at where Sakura was guiding the medics on the details of his eyes before she stood from where she knelt and looked over to Danzo. "Danzo, a word if you will." She moved to leave the cell. Sakura's heart began to beat faster at the thought of finally being left alone with Itachi, but Tsunade quickly added, "The three of you will return to my office no later than fifteen minutes from now. Sakura, do _not_ linger. The ANBU will reattach his bindings once you're gone. Am I understood?"

Sakura nodded her head meekly. Tsunade still did not trust her, with good reason. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

She watched the Hokage's blonde pigtails disappear from sight but the door to the cell remained open. She knew there were three ANBU standing just outside, waiting for them to exit before they could bolt the iron door once more.

It did not take long to explain in excruciating detail how to maneuver Itachi's body in the case of any kind of injury. Sakura made sure the medics understood that Itachi could sustain life-threatening injuries without giving any indication of pain and so they would have to manually assess the damage after each interrogation ( _torture_ ) session. The medics seemed incredibly wary about the task at hand.

"Don't worry," Sakura assured them, masking the distaste behind her own words, "you're not here to heal him as good as new. You just need to make sure he survives the next day until we've learned everything we need to know." She looked down to Itachi and wondered if he knew her true intentions. "Now ladies, I'm going to ask you to please wait outside while I heal some of these fractures. Some of the bones are dangerously close to poking vital organs."

Masami looked unsure. "But Tsunade-sama said –"

Sakura patted her hand patiently, forcing a smile. "The first time I healed the Uchiha, he got so violent he almost killed me. I'd like you two to please step outside so I can handle him this first time around just in case there are any similar complications. The ANBU will protect you just outside the door, don't worry."

The two medics were still hesitant but Sakura was nonetheless their trustworthy senior. She knew there was a chance they would report back to Tsunade and she would face the consequences, but it might be her only chance at seeing Itachi alone. When Masami and Erika were out of sight, Sakura immediately began propping Itachi into a seated position against the wall.

"Itachi," she whispered harshly as she patted his cheeks. She left out all suffixes to his name; any attempts at politeness would be futile. Sakura knelt down beside him and used an arm against his shoulder to keep him up as her free hand supported his neck. His skin was ice against hers. " _Itachi_."

Itachi opened his sightless eyes but did not turn to face her, his eyes intent on staring at the concrete floor.

"Let me die in peace," he finally bit out.

Sakura frowned. "Then you won't be able to see Sasuke."

"That was merely part of an act." At last he looked up in her direction and the fury in the furrows of his brow was unmistakable. "Part of the pleasant Murakami Ryo, Yuriko _-san_ ," he spat out the suffix.

Sakura was unfazed. "I can see right through your lie. We spent days with you, Itachi. You aren't who you make yourself out to be."

"And you? You lied to me. For days, you deceived me," replied Itachi instead. The naked fury in his words sent shivers down Sakura's spine.

"Yet we didn't turn you in. It wasn't us."

At this, Itachi looked slightly intrigued. His eyes flitted back and forth in Sakura's direction, searching for an answer he could not see and so he asked, "Why?"

Sakura placed her hand on his arm. It was bent backwards. She began working her chakra into his muscle fibers, knowing her time was limited and that it was the worst of the injuries she could see. He did not resist. "For the same reason we think you keep yourself alive," she whispered. "To see Sasuke."

The elder Uchiha closed his eyes and squeezed his lips together in a firm line. When he finally opened them, Sakura had finished his arm and was moving on to the angry, bleeding lines across his face.

"You are in love with him."

She did not stop her healing, but her shoulders stiffened. She refused to look at the expression on Itachi's face. "It's scary how well you can see without your eyes, Itachi," was all she could reply.

A pregnant pause ensued. Sakura brushed her fingers over his cheeks, closing the welts and removing splinters of wood from what she assumed was an interrogation gone awry. She did not notice Itachi's hand until it was wrapped gently around her wrist. He pulled her hands away from his cheeks and rested them gently over his eyes.

"Sakura." No suffixes. She realized it was the first time she had heard him say her real name. He paused. "Heal my eyes. Please. Not my body. I need my eyes."

Sakura bit at her lip and noticed the way Itachi's hand did not release her wrist. If ANBU peaked in, they would beat the Uchiha to unconsciousness in a second for touching her. She stopped her flow of chakra to bring one hand to his.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I know we went too far and we manipulated you out of desperation to see Sasuke, but I don't know what to believe. I don't know who you are, Uchiha Itachi. But I know the sweet, polite Murakami Ryo –" Itachi's eyebrows furrowed "- and I _want_ to believe that there's more to you. That there's good inside of you, and that you're connected to your brother by more than just the murder of your family. When Naruto brought you home, I was ready to send you straight to Tsunade, but now . . ."

She took in a deep breath. She was slowly losing her composure. Knowing her time was limited, she reached up and began pumping calculated chakra pulses into Itachi's eyes. He breathed a soft sigh as the warm sensation washed over him.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to see you again, but I want you to know that I was glad to meet you, Murakami Ryo."

Before Itachi could respond, an ANBU who had been guarding the cell tapped her on the shoulder.

"Time's up," he told her.

She let her hands fall away from Itachi's temples and stood without protest, watching the other two ANBU grab Itachi's newly mended arms and lift him back into the shackles against the wall. Itachi's sightless eyes stayed on her figure.

"Naruto wanted to tell you he was sorry," she said, not caring if the ANBU heard. An apology would not incriminate him. "I asked him if he wanted to send any message, and all he told me to tell you was that he was sorry."

If the words affected Itachi in any way, he did not show.

* * *

Naruto was released two nights later.

He went home escorted by three ANBU, two of whom would sit watch at a distance from his apartment until Itachi's interrogations were over. He had breathed in the refreshing night air and was confined to his room for the first night. Tsunade had refused to speak to him altogether.

A pebble struck his forehead and bounced onto the table he sat at, narrowly avoiding the bowl of instant ramen he had made. He looked to the windowsill where it had come from and found Kakashi crouched beneath the frame, one eye crinkled with the force of his smile.

"Heard you were allowed back into the real world," his sensei said lightly as he climbed down from the window and sauntered over to Naruto. "Thought you might like some updates on our situation since Tsunade frequently has me coming into her office for some verbal beatings. Figured the ANBU following me would like to mingle with yours, too." He waved out the window at no one in particular.

"No one will tell me anything," muttered Naruto, then brought a hand to knead his tired eyes. He had been intentionally kept in the dark, his stomach in constant nausea at the thought of what they were doing to Itachi and how it had all been his fault. He had gotten the Uchiha trapped. He had deceived the man. He had carelessly left the door open and the seal incomplete too many times. Naruto could still remember the unmasked fear in Itachi's eyes in the moment he had been caught.

Before everything unraveled.

Kakashi leaned against the refrigerator. "Word is, they're trying to bring in Yamanaka Inoichi. Itachi, predictably, isn't breaking. He hasn't given any information at all."

Naruto looked up at him. "If it wasn't for my dumb plan, we wouldn't be in this mess. He said he didn't want to come back to Konoha. I dragged him back."

Kakashi hummed in amusement. "Sound like another Uchiha we know?"

At that, Naruto scoffed. "You know this isn't the same thing as Sasuke! Something happened to Itachi, before the massacre. Something bad. And we were _so close_ to finding it out. Sasuke's angry and confused. Itachi's . . ." He trailed off, unable to find the words.

"You have to remember Itachi slaughtered his clan without batting an eye, Naruto. Women and children. Whatever good you think you might have seen, whatever odd quirks and manners that make him likable, you have to remember that there's some evil in him too. He's a criminal first and foremost." Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest. "Even if some of us see a different picture."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Kakashi moved to open it and pink hair floated into Naruto's vision soon after. Sakura stood dressed in her medic's uniform. She looked frazzled as she ran one hand through her hair to flatten it into submission. Her other hand held a second uniform.

Kakashi looked just as confused as Naruto. "I thought you were on probation."

Sakura met his question with a grim twist of her lips. "Itachi lives up to his reputation. He's struck a deal with the Elders, if you can believe that."

"Don't tell me," Naruto began incredulously, his ramen completely unforgotten.

Sakura nodded. "I get to heal him instead of the other medics every time he answers one of Ibiki's questions."

The revelation made Naruto stand abruptly in disbelief. His chair fell back with a loud clatter in the silence of the room.

"So you've seen him again?"

"He wants to see you, Naruto." Sakura's emerald gaze was filled with a startling intensity when it landed on his. "Itachi. He asked to see you."

"But I can't –"

She threw the uniform at Naruto. Kakashi put two and two together faster than the boy and shook his head disapprovingly but said nothing. He doubted Itachi was truthfully answering the questions of Ibiki's interrogations; the Uchiha was more deceptively intelligent to manipulate the odds in his favor. Perhaps that was why they finally decided to bring in a Yamanaka. He wondered who had possibly agreed to the terms because, as far as Kakashi's training was aware, no criminal as notorious as Uchiha Itachi would be given even a sliver of leverage. To be given a choice of medic was unheard of. Impossible.

But then, Kakashi had known from the moment they had begun to warm up to Itachi that there was a larger piece missing from the Konoha puzzle.

"Sometimes I get an assistant from the interrogation medics." Sakura's voice was low and her speech was quick. She threw a picture at Naruto. "You're going to be Masami. Tomorrow at nine, you need to head to the jailhouse transformed into her and bring a clone of yours back to the apartment so ANBU don't realize where you've gone. The ANBU don't watch me when I heal him, so it gives us exactly ten minutes with Itachi alone. Do you understand, Naruto?"

Naruto looked to Kakashi as if silently asking his sensei for advice on the illegal activity he was about to commit. The silver-haired man shrugged noncommittally.

"If it's any consolation at all," he offered, "the plan sounds like it'll work. They only ever sense for chakra traces unfamiliar to Konoha. And if you get caught, they'll probably just stop allowing Itachi to be healed or send you to another village until he's dead."

"Thanks," replied Naruto dryly. "Exactly what I needed to hear. Not going to knock some sense into us, sensei?"

"Would it work? You seem like you've already made up your mind about where you stand with your Uchihas."

He was right, thought Naruto. There was no changing his opinion of Uchiha Itachi. There was no altering the importance he put in his survival and the link he had to Sasuke. He flashed Sakura an uneasy grin.

"Let's go break the law."

Equal parts dread and excitement kept him awake and antsy through the following day, eagerly awaiting the nine o'clock rendezvous. Kakashi had sauntered through his door at eight to his surprise, asking with a wink if Naruto would like to have some ramen with him. Naruto smiled broadly at him and, uniform tucked away inside of a bag, followed his sensei to his favorite dining spot.

After slurping down two bowls, a quick detour into Ichiraku's co-bathroom had a Naruto clone leave with Kakashi and a newly-transformed _Masami_ walk away minutes after their departure.

The disguised Naruto hurried to the Hokage Tower where Sakura was waiting patiently. She smiled warmly at him and led the way to the basement level of the tower where the prison awaited. Two ANBU guards nodded her and Naruto through the iron gates of the prison, already falling into a routine with Itachi's medics, and another three escorted them to the bolted door deep within the prison hallways.

Naruto gulped instinctively as the guards began to unbolt the door. His throat was already constricting from the stale air so deep underground. The door slowly opened to reveal Itachi's prone figure half-engulfed in darkness.

"Ah," Sakura clucked softly under her breath. She handed Naruto a small bag. "Masami-chan, would you give me five minutes? I've forgotten my main supply bag in Tsunade-sama's office. Get started while I go grab it please? We don't have time to waste."

Naruto stared back at her with round eyes. His heart began hammering in his chest and he opened his mouth to protest but he caught the words behind Sakura's eyes. _Itachi. He asked to see you._ He closed his mouth and nodded his head, entering the dark chamber alone. The ANBU stayed by the door, disinterested.

Naruto looked to the Uchiha and felt a familiar wave of guilt wash over him. It was obvious Itachi was in pain. He was flat on his back, arms straight at his sides, one leg bent at the knee but the other extended with the ankle bone of its swollen foot flat against the concrete flooring as best as it could be with the shackles around his ankles. His pants were sliced cleanly in some areas and open like curtain flaps to reveal the marred porcelain just beneath. One of his arms was swollen and obviously useless.

"Itachi."

The man's eyes did not move from the ceiling. Naruto walked closer to him, his footsteps echoing – _click, click_ – off the concrete walls from his nurse shoes.

"Itachi, it's me." He paused. Itachi's body stiffened. "It's Naruto."

He could tell Itachi was debating with himself inwardly – talk to Naruto, or shun him because of what he had done. He weighed his options in the silence. Naruto let him patiently despite mentally ticking down the seconds.

"Naruto," he finally whispered hoarsely.

Naruto knelt by him and picked his arm up gingerly. He cringed when Itachi winced. "I'm sorry. Sakura left us alone for a bit. I can't heal you like she can."

Itachi attempted a shrug that resulted in agony. Naruto flicked through the medical bag at his side and procured a roll of bandages; he would have to heal Itachi traditionally as they spoke and hoped Sakura came back with enough time to spare proper care. He licked his lips, unsure of where to start. There was no picking up conversation after the betrayal.

"Had you honestly never realized it was me in the forest?" he asked tentatively. "That it was us, and that you were in Konoha?"

His eyes watched Itachi closely as he attempted to suppress the swelling. The man nodded. Up, down his head went, ever-so-slightly.

"I know you couldn't have picked up our chakra signatures, but . . . you never even got suspicious?"

"I trusted you."

Naruto sucked in a breath, his stomach tossing and turning, his chest tightening.

"Honestly," Itachi continued, and every word was churned out with a surprising steadiness, "I did my best to gather what information I could about our surroundings, about you, and about Yur- . . . Sakura. Everything matched your cover stories. There was no reason to be suspicious. You played Sho from Little Fields convincingly. It was a tactical error on my part to trust you."

Naruto bit his lip and lowered his head. _I trusted you_. An apology bubbled from his throat and nestled at his lips, the guilt pushing it forward and forward. There was little time.

"I'm sorry," he finally said before he dove straight into a ramble. His hands were shaking. "Oh _God_ , Itachi, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know it was you when we met, and you were _so nice_ to me, but once I realized, I was trying to use you to get to Sasuke. But then – but Itachi, you're not _you_ , you know? You're not that crazy criminal you were when we first met three years ago and that Sasuke is hell-bent on killing and it was just _nice_ to be around you and so _confusing_ . . ."

His shaking fingers swiped a wad of cotton over a wound on Itachi's collarbone. It soaked with blood in an instant and sagged in his hand.

"Itachi, please. I don't . . . I don't want to know the details. I don't want to know what mission you're on, or why you're on it, or anything about your life. But I want to know something because you just felt so _genuine_ when we talked that I know there's something behind all of this. Please, I just want to know," and he gulped, blurring eyesight suddenly overlapping several images of Itachi's gruesomely mottled arm, "do you really care about Sasuke?"

He did not expect an answer quickly. He understood that Itachi was the calculating type. The silent thinker. He weighed all of his options before he said something or before he acted (and that, Naruto could not help but think, was one of the major differences between the success of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke). Even as Naruto was piling cotton balls soaked in his life liquid, Itachi did not open his mouth. Naruto's eyes trailed to Itachi's face and the same indecipherable expression he had seen in their last days together eased the tension of Itachi's jaw.

In that moment, Naruto knew Itachi would not confirm anything, but in that same moment, he understood there was no need. The truth was in Itachi's silence. It was in the way Itachi's eyebrows softened, in the way he closed his eyes in what seemed like emotional agony, in the way his lips twisted in uncertainty. Naruto's heart did not race. He had suspected it from the second Itachi mentioned Taichi. Had known it from the first story of TaichiSasuke. It had simply been confirmed. He curled his fingers into a tight fist momentarily before easing a wad of towels under Itachi's head as a pillow. He knew Sakura would be back at any moment.

"A few days ago, I made a promise to you, Itachi." The Uchiha finally turned his sightless eyes to stare at him. "I promised I wouldn't let anyone stop you if you wanted to leave. I don't know how. I don't know when. But I know I will. That's my ninja way." He stood up and his knees ached. "I know you'll never forgive me for landing you back in Konoha. I'll never even forgive myself for the mistakes I made that put you here. But you just have to tell me, Itachi. Do you want to leave?"

Itachi did not silence in calculation.

"Yes."

Naruto flashed him a humorless grin.

"Then you're leaving."

Sakura returned with a new bag of medical supplies and a five minute time extension, but Naruto sat helplessly and silently by her side until she was done healing what she could. He felt as if he had exhausted all of his words for the day. There was no continuing the conversation after his promise, and Itachi did not say a word despite Sakura's pushing. They left the cell moments later, a new tension weighing on his shoulders and with a verbal promise that he would see Itachi again.

* * *

Itachi was not breaking.

Ibiki expected as much. The Elders had reached an inane deal about answering questions in exchange for the Haruno girl but Ibiki knew criminals better. He knew the Uchiha was twisting his answers to prolong his survival. Staring down his crooked nose at the Uchiha who sat stoically and bordering consciousness, he remembered what Tsunade had told him when the Elders had their backs turned. Try every interrogation method in the book.

Torture, essentially.

So he cracked his knuckles and decided he would shift to a new tactic. A psychological one. Perhaps, perhaps he could break Itachi.

It was the middle of the night when Naruto was jerked rudely from his sleep by the creak of his door. He lifted his head wearily and blinked his eyes in an attempt to gather his bearings. ANBU were grabbing him – gentler than before, he vaguely noticed – and lifting him from the bed.

After stumbling over his own feet for several moments, he managed to stand by himself and walk, ANBU on either side but not holding him as they ushered him from his house in just his pajamas. Naruto knew better than to protest. Tsunade had warned him they might come to take him at any time as long as he was a suspect in the ongoing investigation.

The walk was long and silent, deep into the derelict parts of Konoha that grew more and more deserted. Buildings that should have been torn down years ago, wilted trees, crumbling walls; Naruto had rarely been to the area for as long as he lived in Konoha and he felt the goose bumps rise on the back of his neck. They were joined by six more ANBU who – Naruto squinted through the darkness to see – led (dragged) Itachi by his bound hands. Another six ANBU scouted the area by air for any unwanted passersby.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked. His heart flipped. Was he about to watch Itachi's execution? He was left to make up his own conclusions when no one answered him.

Ibiki joined them.

He stepped, quite dramatically, out of the shadows of a lit streetlight as they rounded a corner. Not even the crows were cawing. Naruto suspected it was around three in the morning; he could remember the times he attempted to train in such silence. It was the first time in two days he had felt the refreshing chill of the night air since he had gone to see Itachi with Sakura.

When they continued walking – in silence, silence, silence – Naruto soon began to realize where they were going. His eyes widened. He shook his head. He dug his heels into the dirt floor but the ANBU dragged him along.

"Why . . .?" he choked out as they rounded another abandoned corner and the Uchiha Compound became very evident in the distance. Itachi tried to turn around to face him, sensing his distress, but one of his captors pushed his head roughly from the back to keep him staring forward.

"A reminder," Ibiki spoke up.

Itachi stumbled suddenly in his walking, face jerking to stare at where he had heard Ibiki's voice. He fell to his knees as the ANBU pulling on his hands did not stop, eventually pulling his arms too far from his body. They dragged him for several seconds before Itachi managed to stagger to his feet again.

Ibiki continued, "Of the person you decided to protect, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto shook his head and closed his eyes, feeling a push from the ANBU on the square of his back. He stood surrounded by the true definition of ninja. Dangerous. Silent. Stealthy. They stayed in the shadows of the night and did their dirty work. The group had finally come to the entrance of the Uchiha compound and Naruto shot a fleeting glance at Itachi, wondering if by some sixth (fifth?) sense he understood what he was facing.

Itachi did more than understand.

He stiffened, pulling at the chains that bound his hands so that the ANBU in front of him stumbled. They pulled right back, forcing him past the gates of the compound, forcing him into It, into the Battleground, the Cemetery, the Crime Scene.

"You can't –"

It was not the ANBU who silenced him, but Itachi.

"Naruto," was all Itachi whispered from in front of him as they continued to walk further and further.

The group was suddenly halted, the hostages jerked to a stop. The ANBU that had been leading Itachi turned around and removed his glove, tossing it to the floor before, like the fiery hawk painted onto his porcelain mask, he clawed at the back of Itachi's neck and forced him to his knees. Naruto jerked in protest. Further, further, the ANBU drove his hand forward until the dirt of the floor brushed against Itachi's lips.

"Can you smell that?" Hawk sneered. "That blood you spilled eight years ago? It's still there, isn't it?"

Itachi stared stoically into the darkness.

Hawk jerked Itachi's head to the side, _crick!_ , the nose of the man beneath his talons leaving a neat line in the dirt. "Can you smell the blood of your uncle? Your aunt? Can you see them now? Dear Auntie Uchiha, sliced in two on her way home with a basket of sweets. I bet she was going to visit you. Give little Sasuke a handful of those sweets. But you chopped her arm off, didn't you? Sliced her smiling head clean from her neck –"

"He does not like sweets," Itachi mumbled into the earth.

"What was that, Uchiha?"

Silence.

Hawk jammed his face into the dirt.

"And the children, you sick fuck? The infants you slaughtered in their hospital beds? The women who died begging for the lives of their sons and daughters? Uchiha tots brought to their knees and murdered senseless before they were even old enough to enter the Academy?"

Without enough of Itachi's hair to pull on, Hawk slid his leg out further in front of him to brace himself as his other hand jerked Itachi's head up by his chin. The Uchiha's sightless eyes stared ahead in determination.

"Do you know what you're staring at now?"

Silence.

"Answer me!"

Silence.

Hawk wrenched his neck violently. "That's your house, Uchiha. Can you smell it? That awful stench of your parents' decaying body, your mother's home cooking and her blood –"

Hawk was suddenly soaring through the air, his feet kicking up dust where they scraped against the ground as they were lifted unexpectedly just before he was slammed onto his back. The _schhhhhhk!_ of his sword being unsheathed was by his ear and there was something cool pressing against his neck. When the dust cleared, Uchiha Itachi was standing with a mask of indifference far stonier than the porcelain mask the ANBU wore, pressing Hawk's blade against his own neck. Naruto held his breath. The world around them seemed to stand still.

Hawk sneered and lifted his neck against the blade but it was obvious in his expression that Itachi's split-second take-down had rattled him. "Go on, then," he coaxed. "Kill me. Spill my blood here, like you spilled your own kin's blood."

The sword fell to the ground in a lifeless thud. Itachi did not struggle against the dozens of hands that were pushing him back to the ground, gagging him, immobilizing him, tying him down tighter like some sort of dangerous animal. A blind, bound criminal had managed to take one of their own down in a glaring reveal of how powerful he could be and they would not allow it to happen again.

Naruto turned to face Ibiki's mask of indifference, trying to comprehend why, why, _why_ they would bring him here, what they were trying to do ( _break him, break him, snap him like a twig_ ). Itachi was stilled, his face in the dirt but his backside propped up on his knees. Twelve ANBU surrounded him.

Ibiki turned to face Naruto.

"The man who wiped out this ghost village," he growled, "who murdered his own family with his own hands is the man you have been harboring for a month." He turned around and snapped with obvious sarcasm, "Congratulations."

Naruto managed to catch a final glimpse of Itachi before he was turned around.

He needed to get him out of there.


	12. Of Rules and Risks

**A/N:** This chapter has been several weeks in the making. It took me forever to finalize writing it because I spent so much time trying to make sure I did all of the characters justice and got their reactions just right. I'm sorry for the longer wait, but I really hope I portrayed everyone's emotions accurately. It's also my longest chapter to date.

A big thanks to my readers, and as always to my reviewers: **chidoripotato** , **kayna96** , **Redfoxshadow** , **Malfe** , **CabbageGirl99** , and 3 **Guests**.

This story is going to be coming to a close soon. This chapter is very read-between-the-lines-esque. Lots of mysteries that will be solved later but more fun to try and solve by reading the subtle details.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

… **:::Of Rules and Risks:::…**

* * *

"You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach? Listen to it." - Sally Kathryn

* * *

ANBU kept Naruto a prisoner in his house for the rest of the night.

He returned home visibly shaken by the cruel intentions of Ibiki and the ghostly horrors of the Uchiha Compound. Sitting in bed with the moon filtering through the sparse curtains of his room, he found he could not sleep. He was desperate to run to Kakashi or seek comfort with Sakura, but ANBU had warned him that he would not be allowed out of his house until morning.

So he watched the sun rise with his eyes rimmed red and tried not to think of the guilt that ate away at him. He had done this to Itachi.

The sun was barely over the horizon before Naruto was out the door and walking as quickly as he could to Kakashi's house. It was in Kakashi's home that he had come to find comfort. He trusted his sensei more than anything with the ongoing investigation testing their strength of will. Kakashi would know what to do. Kakashi would know what to say.

Contrary to popular belief, the silver-haired Jounin had no idea what to do or say when he opened his door to find Naruto on the verge of hysteria.

He ushered the boy in without a word and rubbed his tired eyes as Naruto kicked off his shoes. The doorbell hadn't woken him up, truthfully, but he had still been in the stages of convincing himself to get out of bed. He yawned noisily, stretched, and followed to where Naruto had already made himself comfortable on the couches.

"You look like shit."

Naruto laughed humorlessly and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands. When he spoke, his voice sounded strangled. "ANBU took me on a romantic date last night. To the Uchiha Compound with Itachi."

The blond ignored Kakashi's look of surprise in favor of peering behind him at the door to the guest room. There were empty scrolls littering the floor around it. Kakashi's seals that had once covered the wood seemed to be scrubbed bare, leaving behind discolored lines and scratches. A single scroll with the Hokage's distinct stamp was nailed to the center of the door. The word _EVIDENCE_ shined angrily in red ink.

Naruto's eyes trailed back to Kakashi's face and found the look of surprise still there. "They're switching up interrogation tactics. They're trying to _break_ him, Kakashi-sensei. You should've seen him. They tried to break him and he _still_ took one of them down. And he's _blind_!"

"He took one of them down?"

The surprise revelation had shaken Kakashi fully awake by then as Naruto recounted the events of last night. At some point he wandered to the kitchen to treat the two of them to a cup of tea as Naruto continued his tale – mostly as caffeine for himself. Naruto followed and sat at the kitchen counter. He cradled the cup of tea between his hands for warmth. Kakashi leaned against the sink across from him with his legs crossed at his ankles.

The more Naruto spoke, the more his voice began to crack. He looked up at Kakashi with his eyes rimmed red. "I did this to him," he said hoarsely. "He said he trusted me. All he wanted to do was heal his eyes, Kakashi-sensei. He _really_ trusted me."

"Naruto," warned Kakashi. He could sense the hysteria creeping up on his student.

Naruto ignored the warning. "It's my fault he's in there. Tsunade's going to have him executed as soon as they get what they need from him. I promised him no one would hurt him. I promised him I wouldn't let anyone stop him from leaving." He looked to Kakashi. "We have to get him out of there, Kakashi-sensei. He's connected to Sasuke in a way we don't know. We have to help him escape."

The last emotion Naruto was expecting to crinkle the lines of Kakashi's eyes was anger.

It appeared in the furrows of his sensei's brows and the twist of his mouth beneath his mask. His shoulders stiffened subtly. Naruto immediately knew he had somehow crossed a line and cowered slightly at the unexpected emotion. It was a long time before Kakashi's voice cut low and leveled through the stillness:

"Itachi and I were teammates, Naruto."

The words were strained, as if someone had pulled them from between Kakashi's reluctant teeth. The older man crossed his arms over his chest and met his pupil's gaze with a foreign intensity that sucked the breath from Naruto's chest. Each word seemed to echo in the unnerving stillness of the room.

"Years ago when I was in ANBU. We spent more time together than you did in that forest. All of these little quirks of his you're discovering? I've seen them before. I _know_ who Itachi is. Who he _was_ , Naruto. I know."

"I didn't think . . ." was all Naruto found he could say. He felt his pulse thrumming against his neck, hammering hard against his chest, his throat closing. He wasn't sure if he dared to continue. "Kakashi-sensei, I had no idea. Is that . . . Is that why you agreed to keeping him?"

Some of the anger faded from the silver-haired man. His shoulders relaxed. He sighed, deep and heavy, and ran one hand through his hair. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I didn't think about the consequences until it was too late."

Naruto offered a grim half-smile in the tension. He could understand. He stared tentatively at his sensei, unsure of how to broach the conversation – unsure of how to even handle the emotions for the first time in forever. Kakashi had seemed furious but there was now defeat in every muscle of his posture.

"Was Itachi . . ." He ran one finger across the rim of his teacup, suddenly nervous. "Was he the same with you as he is now? Polite and nice –"

"And welcoming?"

Kakashi pushed himself off of the sink and finally sat down. He ran his fingers through his hair again, both hands that time. Naruto felt his heart flop oddly in his chest.

"And frighteningly skilled?" continued Kakashi. "We made a formidable team. I was eight years his senior but still there was no one I could trust to have my back in battle. So when the Uchiha massacre happened, it shook the foundations of everything I knew, Naruto. It felt like the ultimate betrayal. I searched everywhere for Itachi for a _week_ hoping he could offer any sort of explanation. Any excuse for the unspeakable things he'd done."

"Did you ever get to him?" Naruto's voice was weak in the heavy silence.

Kakashi fixed Naruto with a tired stare. "The next time I saw him after the massacre was years later, when he put me in a Tsukuyomi-induced coma for a week."

Silence blanketed the room, Kakashi's words weighing it down in a suffocating tension. Their tea sat cooled and untouched. Neither of them moved for what seemed like an eternity until Naruto finally shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"But things don't add up. You wouldn't have gone looking for him for an explanation if you didn't agree. There's something wrong with the bigger picture. We're seeing the _real_ Itachi."

"Naruto, at this point I'm convinced the real Itachi is a psychopath." There was no humor in Kakashi's response. "One second we're sharing a tent, the next he slaughters his parents, and then later he's sitting at a food stall eating dango. Uchiha Itachi is a criminal first and foremost. We shouldn't be so hasty to break him out of jail."

Naruto frowned at his sensei. When he spoke, his voice was hushed in the silence of the apartment. "That psychopath used to be a teammate you really cared about. That should mean something to you, criminal or not, especially when what we used to know isn't making sense anymore. Everyone is calling Sasuke a criminal, too, but that doesn't stop us from knowing he's better than that – from knowing he's _more_ than what they say. I know we're both trying to save him. We can save Itachi, too –"

 _WHUMP!_

Kakashi slammed his hands down on the counter in front of him and stood. His stool tipped and clattered against linoleum kitchen floor, painfully deafening in the quiet of the house. Naruto jumped. Shock paralyzed his body as he looked into his sensei's blazing gaze. To his surprise, Kakashi's voice was low and steady despite the unbridled anger stiffening his shoulders.

"Uchiha Itachi is sitting in a cell paying for the crimes he committed, Naruto. You don't think I tried to save him back then? I _warned_ him, Naruto. I saw the way he was. I saw what he was becoming, saw how detached he was growing from everyone around him. I _warned_ him about the importance of friendship. Of a team. The next night, every Uchiha was dead at his hands. So I _did_ my part. Where did that get me?"

The silver-haired Jounin set his untouched cup of tea in the sink and turned his back on his student. Naruto held his breath in the fear that even a puff of air would shatter the illusion of his sensei held up by sheer tension.

"The only reason Sasuke needs saving is because of Itachi. Don't forget that. And anyway," continued Kakashi in barely a whisper, his back still turned so Naruto could not see his expression, "I failed, remember? I tried to save Sasuke. And I failed."

Before Naruto could say a word, Kakashi left the blond alone at the kitchen counter and closed the door to his bedroom behind him. Naruto made no move to follow him. Suddenly Kakashi's anger didn't seem so surprising at all.

* * *

That night, Naruto found himself in the company of Sakura. She had stopped by his house with disconcerting news of Itachi's interrogation and had hoped their sensei would be there, too, to no avail. Neither of them had seen Kakashi since Naruto's morning visit. Naruto did not fill her in on what had happened in Kakashi's house; he didn't think it was his place to share something so personal.

"I need to see him, Sakura," he begged her from across the dining table. "Please."

Sakura stared with her eyebrows drawn up in sympathy. Naruto had lost a significant amount of weight since his ambush, his once hardened body now gaunt and weak. His face was too pale to be the tanned sunshine she remembered, his hair a foreign buzz cut just two inches off his skull, his eyes bloodshot and telltale signs that he'd barely slept in days. Her mind wandered to the days of Sasuke's abandonment; it was the only other time she'd seen Naruto fall apart the same way.

"I can't, Naruto," she said despite wanting to say whatever would return the smile to his face. When was the last time she had seen him smile? "Not tonight. They're bringing Yamanaka Inoichi in tonight. Tsunade called me in on standby, and only because they think there's a chance he could be fatally injured and he hasn't been responding to recent healing. I'm not allowed an assistant tonight, Naruto, I'm sorry."

Naruto flashed her a weak smile and her heart broke. They both understood there was nothing they could do. "Don't worry about it, Sakura. Next time. Just get him through the night."

Sakura understood Naruto's desperation. She had been in to heal Itachi three times since she had brought Naruto in, but each time had been completely spontaneously, with no time to prepare Naruto for a rendezvous. Twice, Itachi had been healed as he remained unconscious. The third time, earlier that day, they had spent his healing in mutual silence with Itachi leaning heavily against her as she pumped chakra into his eyes.

Tonight, Sakura soon found out, would be completely different.

She bid Naruto farewell with a promise to update him when she was done and made her way to the familiar prison beneath the Hokage Tower. Tsunade, Danzo, and Ibiki were settled into a larger interrogation room than normal with Inoichi yet to arrive. Between the three of them was a long wooden table fitted with harnesses. At least, Sakura noticed with a wry grin, the room had more than one light bulb.

Tsunade noticed her presence and nodded at her in acknowledgement but did no more. Sakura knew she wasn't allowed in the room. There was a chair set up just outside and she nestled herself into it as ANBU scurried left and right.

Inoichi arrived several minutes later, flanked by ANBU. His handsome face was set into a determined scowl. When he caught sight of Sakura, his scowl melted to reveal a warm smile.

"Sakura," he said smoothly. "What a pleasure it is to see you again. When I heard you were taking part in healing the Uchiha, I couldn't believe how much you'd grown since you were a little girl picking flowers with Ino from our garden."

Sakura bowed politely to him, her smile sincere. "I've been meaning to pass by for a visit but, well, you can see how much my work has gotten in the way."

"Pleasantries exchanged for the day, Yamanaka?"

Ibiki stepped from the room and Sakura stiffened. Inoichi's attention shifted to the larger man. He bowed his head.

"I'm excited," said Inoichi, Sakura officially ignored. "I haven't seen this much action in decades."

"He's Akatsuki," replied Ibiki. "It'll be tricky even for your skill."

"A challenge, old friend?"

"If that's what it'll take to make you rise to the occasion. Here he comes now."

There was a distant tinkling of metal against the concrete floor that grew louder and louder. Sakura turned her head with Inoichi to the ANBU marching into view from the darkness of the hall, Itachi dragged in shackles between them. She followed his still figure until it disappeared into the room. Inoichi turned to offer her a small, confident smile; she returned it with a weak twist of her lips just before the door closed behind him.

She was alone.

From outside, she could hear nothing of the interrogation. She knew what was going on, however. Inoichi's skills made him capable of sifting through Itachi's mind on touch. He would have the Uchiha's most recent memories at the tips of his fingers and would be able to tell just how truthful he had been the past week. Part of Sakura grew worried as the minutes passed. What would Itachi's mind reveal?

Minutes ticked by slowly. Sakura kicked her legs out in front of her anxiously as she stared down the dark corridor of the prison cells. How long would the interrogation be? Was she even needed? Would she be able to see Itachi?

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound that tore through the silence:

Someone was screaming.

Itachi.

Itachi was screaming.

She stood up so quickly that the chair beneath her clattered to the floor, but the rush of her blood deafened her ears against the noise. Her mind was denying that the screams coming from inside the interrogation room could belong to Itachi. There was no way the stoic, quiet Uchiha would ever raise his voice. The man had walked for days on a shattered ankle without realizing it. He had been in pain for weeks and never uttered so much as a grunt. But there was no mistaking the velvet baritone of the cry that echoed in the darkness.

For him to be screaming, Sakura thought with her eyes wide in panic, he must have been in pure agony.

Before she could think about her next move, another yell of agony joined Itachi's. It was Inoichi, Sakura recognized. Fear gripped her heart and she moved instinctively to open the door. As her hand made contact with the knob, the door flung open and Tsunade's panicked face stared into hers.

"Sakura, quickly!"

Both screams stopped.

Sakura looked into the room in horror. Inoichi was collapsed and seizing violently by the center table. Deep burns and blisters flayed the skin from the tips of his fingers to his elbows. Sakura's stomach heaved at the scent of seared flesh as she knelt beside Inoichi and struggled to turn him onto his side. Tsunade held the man's head with her hands kneading chakra into his skull, her fingers slick with blood that flowed sluggishly from Inoichi's nose and rolling eyes.

Sakura's hands were visibly shaking, still jarred at the screams of the Uchiha and the gruesome state of Inoichi's arms. In her haste, she hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of Itachi. Danzo and Ibiki had left the room but she knew Itachi was still on the table. From her position on the floor, all she could see was his limp hand.

"What _happened_?" she asked breathlessly.

"Damned Akatsuki," Tsunade ground out from clenched teeth. She wiped at the blood by Inoichi's eyes. The man had stopped seizing but was still unconscious. "Stay with me, Inoichi, damn it!"

Sakura began kneading her own chakra into the man's charred flesh as she waited for Tsunade to continue. It looked as if he had willingly cooked his hand in an open fire.

"There's a trap seal placed on the Uchiha's mind for situations exactly like this. It stops any interference and preserves top secret intel. Inoichi tried to break the seal for access but it's like nothing any of us have ever seen before. We had to manually break their chakra bond. If we hadn't, he'd be dead right now."

Beads of sweat were beginning to form on Sakura's brow. She bit at her lip, her heart still hammering wildly against her chest. "I heard Itachi scream too. Is he . . .?"

"Alive," Tsunade bit out. "Barely. Nothing any basic healing will do at the moment. We need to get Inoichi stabilized and transfer him. I've sent Ibiki to retrieve a transfer unit."

"Tsunade-sama, these are beyond third degree burns. I'm not making any progress at all."

The flesh refused to mend. The cells of burnt flesh reacted differently to chakra than Sakura's experience was used to. Tsunade understood. The Hokage continued to push chakra into Inoichi's skull until his eyelids twitched. Satisfied with his reaction, she continued until footsteps echoed in the hallway just outside. An ANBU unit came hurrying into the room with a canvas stretcher. Tsunade and Sakura carefully maneuvered Inoichi onto it and stood.

As the ANBU rushed from the room, Sakura finally got her glimpse at Itachi from where she stood. He was spread along the table, his arms and legs shackled to each corner and his face turned away from her. At first glance she was relieved to see that there was nothing out of the ordinary. No bones broken the wrong way, no excess bleeding, all limbs still intact. Her beating heart steadied itself.

As she turned around the table to leave the room, however, she caught sight of his face. His ears, nose, and eyes had leaked trickles of blood. Rivulets ran into his open mouth. Sakura gasped in spite of herself. Itachi's eyes were open and lidded, staring in her direction, but completely blank.

Tsunade caught her staring. "Trying to break the seal shut his body down in a preemptive response. We don't know what tampering with it has done to his psyche. We'll send him to his cells. I'll call you back in once everything's settled so you can get a look at him. This isn't something I can trust the trainees to do, no matter what Koharu insists."

Sakura nodded meekly. The smell of burnt flesh lingered in the room.

"He's growing useless, Sakura, so don't hold your breath," Tsunade said as they were parting. "If tampering with the seal broke him and he's landed in catatonia, we're done with him. At this point he's a waste of our resources."

Sakura stared at her mentor but said nothing. She knew Tsunade was expecting a stronger reaction from her. She refused to give her one. She nodded, lifted her chin, and turned to leave.

Half an hour later, she was collapsing onto Naruto's bed.

Naruto followed her into his room, kicked some stray clothing under the bed, and sat on the edge of the mattress. His hand hovered over her shaking shoulder in worry. She had come to his door looking awfully pale and all she had said was, "I heard Itachi scream."

"Sakura," he tried to coax her patiently.

"It was _awful_ ," she mumbled into his pillow. "You should've heard him, Naruto. Have you ever even heard him raise his voice? He was in pure agony." She turned to stare at him, her voice clearer. "Akatsuki puts seals on the minds of their members to keep any information from getting out. Inoichi tried to break a seal and ended up with third-degree burns and a trip to the hospital. And I think it broke him. Itachi, I mean."

Naruto inched closer to her as Sakura finally sat up and hugged the pillow to her chest. She stared at a discolored stain on the bed sheets.

"I saw his face. He was completely gone. Eyes open but nothing there. What if he's broken? What if the seal did something to him? Tsunade saw it too. She says if he stays like that, they're going to kill him, Naruto. He hasn't been giving them enough information and they're getting tired. They're going to kill him and they're going to do it soon."

She must have looked wild because Naruto offered her a sympathetic smile and rubbed her shoulder. "We'll go see him together. We'll find a way to get him out. Itachi's tough, remember? I'm sure a little seal won't keep him down."

Sakura returned the small smile. There was a war going on in her head, screaming at her, begging her to remember that it hadn't been Sasuke on that table but the older brother who killed his clan. "Tsunade is going to call me back tomorrow. I'll get to bring you along. Be ready?"

"Born ready."

* * *

Itachi's condition did not change.

Tsunade called Sakura to her office to inform her that she had tried to work her own chakra into the Uchiha to no avail. She had done what she could to heal the internal damage in his skull but brought Sakura in as a final gamble to see if Itachi would respond to the familiarity of her chakra. Sakura would report back to Tsunade on his condition. From there, the date of his execution would be scheduled after a Council meeting.

Sakura, with Naruto in tow disguised as Masami, entered Itachi's cell. The light of Naruto's lantern illuminated the dim cell. The two were surprised to see that Itachi had not been shackled to the wall as he usually was. In fact, he lay prone on a torn tatami mat that seemed like a new luxury.

Naruto knelt by him and cradled a hand to his jaw. He had expected to feel ice but Itachi's skin radiated heat in the damp cell. The soft glow of the light cast orange hues over pale skin but Naruto could see the red tinge of fever painting the Uchiha's cheeks. "Itachi?" he tried softly.

Sakura watched with her breath held. Itachi gave no indication that he was conscious. Naruto looked to her expectantly and removed his hand from the Uchiha's cheek to make way for Sakura's. The instant her hands glowed green against his temples, Itachi's eyes fluttered open. Sakura jerked her hands back in disbelief.

"Tsunade's been trying all morning. There's no way I –"

"It's temporary."

Itachi's voice was hoarse. He attempted to sit up weakly with his back braced against the concrete wall. Naruto supported him with one hand under his armpit until he was seated upright, although his head hung limply, as if his neck could no longer support its weight.

"The seal," he continued, his voice thick with illness and laced with pain. He coughed weakly; flecks of blood speckled his lips. "It renders me incapacitated for sixteen hours if tampered with. The Yamanaka – what of him?"

"He's alive," replied Sakura. She shook off her initial surprise and eased into her usual routine of checking Itachi's body for any life-threatening injuries. "Tsunade broke the bond in time. And you? I . . . heard you screaming."

Itachi said nothing.

A pregnant silence ensued. Naruto was at a loss for words, having finally been able to see Itachi after the horror at the Uchiha Compound. He scooted across the floor so that he sat next to the older man against the concrete wall, shoulder-to-shoulder in support of the Uchiha's unsteady body that looked ready to collapse. Sakura had taken to healing Itachi's eyes. A soft green glow illuminated the three of them.

In the light of her chakra, Itachi finally lifted his head and opened his eyes. They were shrouded in a green halo as they landed on Sakura's face and lingered. After several moments, he turned his head slightly to stare in Naruto's direction. The shadow of a smirk toyed with his lips.

"I would have never recognized you without your hair, Uzumaki Naruto," he said airily.

It took the other two a few seconds to shake off the change in tone. It took another few seconds to register the meaning behind Itachi's words. Naruto blinked dumbly in his direction. Recognition widened his eyes. The green glow winked from existence as realization dawned on a stunned Sakura.

"You can _see?_ " the duo whispered excitedly.

Itachi turned his eyes to Sakura, the smirk now no longer a shadow. "Basic shapes," he said. "Blurs of colors. Enough to recognize that you are much older than what I last remembered you two to be. It has been steadily improving since you were first allowed to heal me here."

"Itachi, that's amaz-!"

Sakura shushed Naruto's growing delight and glanced pointedly at the door of the cell. A part of her suspected Tsunade's earlier healing had accidentally restored more than the Hokage realized, or Itachi had been keeping just how much his vision had improved a secret until then. Naruto deflated slightly but he still bubbled with an eagerness to celebrate. Itachi turned his eyes to Sakura and drank in her sight through green radiance as she returned her hands to his eyes.

"No amount of words can express my gratitude for your healing, Sakura," he said slowly, as if trying to inject as much sincerity into the words as he possibly could. He bowed his head to her. "How difficult it must have been for you to help a criminal like me all this time, but I am eternally grateful you did."

Sakura's hands fell from his temples. The words had definitely been laced with guilt, the smirk on Itachi's face definitely morphed into a frown. She dropped her hands uselessly to her sides and met Itachi's eyes without hesitation. For countless sleepless nights, she had struggled with the morals of every decision she had made and was finally faced with settling on one stance.

"You were dying and had been nothing but nice when I first started," she decided to reply. "Even if you were some evil killer, you sure fooled us with how kind you were. You never even tried to hurt us, or sneak away, or cause any trouble. So what kind of medic would I be if I couldn't heal someone who deserved it?"

Itachi dropped his glance, his expression a mystery. He bowed his head once more but was otherwise silent, leaving Naruto to fill the peace.

"Can you activate your Sharingan?"

It was a good question, thought Sakura. The Uchiha gave a half-shrug of his shoulder in response and shifted his gaze to Naruto. "Activation necessitates chakra. Any attempt at drawing chakra while I am bound with these shackles will put me in an induced coma for days." He rattled the chains around his wrists lightly to draw their attention to them.

"That's okay," said Naruto as he nudged Itachi slightly with a grin. "When we get you out of here, you can give it a try and let us know."

It was Itachi's turn for a small smile. Sakura noticed it tugging at the corner of the man's lips beneath her glowing hands and she couldn't help a smile herself. Finally, Naruto's contagious sunshine was beginning to seep out. She felt the positivity warm her heart and a part of her almost, _almost_ believed him. Almost believed there would be a happy ending for the murderer they had harbored for over a month.

She almost laughed.

When Itachi closed his eyes and murmured, "Are you always this optimistic?" she actually did let out a quiet giggle.

"Hey, optimism has nothing to do with it! I made a promise. I keep my promises," said Naruto confidently.

"Being executed is technically leaving this cell, in a way." There was a teasing undertone to Itachi's words. "So my death will still fulfill your promise, should it come to that."

Naruto frowned at him. "Don't even joke."

They eased into silence but Naruto was growing tired of the hush. He knew their time was limited. He knew Sakura would need to report back soon, the Council would meet, and Itachi would be scheduled to die. He knew it wouldn't last, and so the silence unnerved him. To his surprise, it was Itachi who broke it:

"I will not fault you if you cannot keep your promise, Naruto." When Naruto turned to him, Itachi's eyes were gazing into his own. "I know my death is coming and I do not fear it. I will never blame you –"

"Don't."

Naruto stared back, seriousness etched in every line of his face.

"I promised. That's it. There's no use thinking about your death if it isn't happening."

A smile was not what Naruto expected in reply. Then again, it seemed he was on the receiving end of a lot of unexpected emotions that week. He stared in confusion at the rare expression on Itachi's face.

"Well then, _when_ I manage to leave, I have no doubt we will meet each other again."

Naruto smiled back at him with a nudge of his elbow that accidentally pushed Itachi out of Sakura's healing hands. "That's the spirit!"

"Naruto!"

"Sorry!"

Sakura gently took Itachi's face between her hands once more but frowned. The Uchiha's expression had sobered suddenly. She lifted his chin. "Itachi?"

When Itachi's eyes opened, the unexpected intensity of the gaze stunned her.

"I cannot control you two," came the low baritone of his voice. He switched his gaze to Naruto. "Whatever conspiracies you may have made about me in your head. Whatever you think you have learned about my character. Whatever assumptions you may have. You realize I have confirmed nothing. Trying to craft a fantasy – and more importantly, trying to convince others of that fantasy – may do irreparable harm."

Without even a second's contemplation, Naruto understood he was referring to Sasuke and the potential they had to share their discoveries with him. He had been about to interrupt when Itachi lurched forward and coughed violently into his hand. Blood seeped through his fingers. When the Uchiha spoke again, it was with cherry-red lips.

"I cannot make you forget, but I can trust that you two are intelligent enough to understand the difference between Murakami Ryo and Uchiha Itachi. My past has not changed. I am not Murakami Ryo. I am Uchiha Itachi, and things are as they are." He stared solemnly between Naruto and Sakura. "Things are as they should be. Do not attempt to change them."

Naruto knew it was as close to begging them to stay silent as Uchiha Itachi would allow.

Like clockwork, a few moments of stunned silence followed, during which neither Sakura nor Naruto knew how to carry on next. Naruto heard the imaginary _tick tock tick tock_ of their time together as each wordless second drifted by. He turned away from Itachi yet eased into his side, half to keep the older man propped up and half to rest against him.

"You know," he casually cut through the calm, his voice barely above a whisper, "Sasuke's my best friend."

He received no reaction from Itachi, but he hadn't been expecting one. Sakura perked up at the name of their teammate and stared hard at Naruto, as if silently asking him just _what on Earth_ he was doing as Naruto opened his mouth to continue.

"My rival, too. He was so good at everything, it was ridiculous. I swear he was showing off when we were kids. I mean, ten shuriken with a blindfold at seven years old? Definitely showing off."

Resting against Itachi, Naruto could feel him stiffen his shoulders momentarily and then relax. He smiled to himself. Without protest from the other two, he continued.

"He graduated top of the class. Everyone either loved him or was jealous of him. Sometimes," and Naruto chuckled softly, "I swear even Kakashi-sensei favored that bastard over us. Something in him snapped, though." His voice saddened and the small smile that had wormed onto Sakura's lips disappeared as the memories washed over them. "He was always this broody asshole but he got worse after you came along. There was this ugly darkness in his heart. It's hard to see someone you really care about go through darkness, you know?"

An ANBU's voice cut sharply into the cell: "Five minutes."

"Naruto," Sakura tried to warn him to stop. She could secretly feel Itachi's pulse through the chakra bond. It was the first time she had ever felt his heart beat so quickly.

Naruto gave a half-hearted laugh. "Bastard put a hole in my chest. Did you know that? I kept chasing him to get him to come back and he put a hole in my chest. Man, that _hurt_! But that was okay. I can hurt a little for him." He fisted his shirt over his heart; Sakura wasn't sure if Naruto was even talking to Itachi anymore. "I can take a little of that pain for that asshole. But he's in a lot of pain right now and I haven't been able to find him again. I'm not worried, though, because I know one day I will."

Sakura forced herself to cut the bond of chakra to Itachi's eyes. The man's heartbeat had become too overwhelming. It thrummed against her fingertips and vibrated through her body until she had had enough. She looked down at the perfectly expressionless face of Uchiha Itachi and saw not even a twitch that betrayed the inner war he was waging.

Naruto had interpreted her break as a sign that they were leaving. He gently eased himself off of Itachi with a steady hand on his shoulder but turned his head to look at the man instead and said:

"I know you caused that pain."

Still, Itachi did not react.

"I know that darkness is in his heart because you put it there. He's made a lot of bad decisions because of it and he's pretty lost right now, and that's okay because we're going to help bring him back. But whatever reason you put it there, Itachi, I really hope it was worth losing him."

And even still, Itachi said nothing.

Naruto stood to leave. His back ached in protest from where his spine had rested against the concrete. He pat a heavy hand on Itachi's shoulder in goodbye. As he and Sakura made their way to the door, Itachi's velvet baritone drifted through the silence.

"Goodbye, Haruno Sakura," he said definitively. "Goodbye, Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura turned and gave a half-smile in his direction. "Goodbye, Itachi."

Naruto grinned. "Nah," he said, "see you around, Uchiha."

* * *

It was late into the night when Tsunade received an unexpected visit from Kakashi.

The early afternoon had been a buzz of events for her. Sakura had informed her Itachi had regained consciousness, which had Tsunade rubbing her temples in frustration. Truth be told, she _wanted_ the Uchiha comatose. At least that way, they could execute him immediately and she would be rid of the greatest headache that had plagued her since becoming Hokage.

To her surprise later in the afternoon, during a meeting with the Council, Danzo had immediately called for his execution. Koharu and Homura had agreed before Tsunade even had the time to narrow her eyes at their sudden change of behavior. Hadn't they been the ones to push for prolonging the interrogations? She had let the suspicion slide out of relief to finally be rid of the damned Uchiha. She needed her ANBU back instead of having them babysit Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.

The Council had decided the execution would be happening in two days' time. It would be made public knowledge by the end of the week.

So when Kakashi came into her office – _knocking on her door_ of all damned things – she could not help the look of surprise on her face. Had word of Itachi's execution already leaked? Not even Naruto or Sakura had seen Kakashi in days. She stared at him from behind a particularly tall stack of papers.

"Are you sick or something?" she said as she narrowed her eyes. "You're usually hanging outside my window. Since when do you go knocking on doors?"

Kakashi's hands were in his pockets in his usual relaxed stance, but Tsunade could tell there was a foreign emotion that made it seem strained. His shoulders were too stiff, his elbows too angled. He waved a hand casually and tilted his head.

"My shadows didn't take too kindly to me jumping onto your windowsill." He eyed the ANBU that stood just outside the open door. "Did you paint the door recently? Can't say I remember it being brown."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "You've never used the damn door in your life, Hatake. Now what brings you to my office? I already told you your missions have been suspended until further notice."

Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow. "I've been told you submitted a formal request to have me speak with Uchiha Itachi."

He met her surprised look firmly. Tsunade finally understood the unfamiliar emotion that had etched itself into Kakashi's appearance: seriousness. Irritation. Something was clouding his visible eye that she rarely recognized in the man. She sat back in her chair and folder her hands across her stomach, her own expression with clear distaste.

"The damn Council again, interfering without letting me know. On what grounds?" she asked with a grimace. "You're already suspected of being a biased party in the interrogations. The only reason Sakura has been allowed to see him is because of some ludicrous agreement."

Kakashi lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I'm assuming they think our . . . _similarities_ will loosen his tongue, especially after what we discovered from my last mission. He's going to be executed soon, isn't he? They must be truly desperate to bring me in, so I assume they've run out of options."

Tsunade cursed under her breath and brought one hand up to rub the bridge of her nose. "He's set for execution the day after tomorrow. What do they think you're going to do? _Talk_ him into revealing Akatsuki's secrets? Just because you were partners once upon a time, they think you're going to cry together for nostalgia's sake? Absolutely ridiculous."

She spent several more moments cursing the Elders under her breath, all too aware Kakashi was still standing stiffly across from her desk. She had had enough of the Council and their irrational decision-making. At last she planted two hands on her desk and steadied herself to her feet.

"Well? Let's get to it. I'll have to dismiss the ANBU standing guard in case you talk about where you've been since that's still classified information." She strode to the door. When she realized Kakashi wasn't following, she turned to look over her shoulder. "Hatake? Let's get this over with. I don't know what's got you pissed to high hell but whatever it is, put it aside. I'm tired of seeing that killer's face. I want this interrogation closed."

Kakashi sighed softly, dug his hands further into his pockets, and sauntered after Tsunade.

Their descent was spent in mutual silence. Down, down, down the staircase spiraled in the Hokage Tower. With each step, the lights grew dimmer until they were briefly immersed in darkness, then basking in the soft glow of lanterns lining the concrete walls. There were ANBU shrouded in shadows at the end of the hallway. As Tsunade approached them, Kakashi found they were guarding Itachi's cell door.

"You three will come with me. We're going to give Hatake some time with the Uchiha while we do routine prison checks. Hatake," she turned to Kakashi, "that'll give you about fifteen minutes with him. I can trust you'll be able to handle yourself with a blind and chained prisoner, yes?"

The silver-haired man waved his hand at her teasing attempt. "No promises."

The large iron door was opened to reveal nothing but shadows. One ANBU handed Kakashi a lantern and nodded him through. Tsunade gave him one last hard look, nodded her head, and took her leave with the three ANBU in tow.

Kakashi entered without hesitation.

The lantern barely fought off the shadows. It revealed Itachi curled in a huddled mass in the furthest corner of the room. The wall fastenings for his shackles had been taken down, Kakashi noted curiously, then eyed the tatami mat the Uchiha rested on and noticed the lack of a straitjacket. Another deal struck?

The younger man looked unharmed but in a great deal of pain from the way he clutched at his heart and gritted his teeth. Kakashi stepped slowly towards him.

"Cat."

Itachi jerked slightly from where he lay against the mat but gave no other reaction to the familiar voice. He lifted his head in Kakashi's direction and opened his eyes.

"Wolf."

The Uchiha's eyes followed Kakashi until they rested on his face from where he stood at the foot of the mat. Kakashi's only indication of surprise was a twitch of his eyebrow; Sakura must have been healing the Uchiha well if he could follow him around the room in the dark. Could he see clearly again?

He waved one hand nonchalantly.

"Still insisting my mask was a wolf, huh?" he said lightly. "You always did refuse to call me Dog, even when I had my summons leading the way. Joke's on you, though, I secretly called you Weasel. Your mask didn't look anything like a Cat."

Itachi did not seem amused. If anything, thought Kakashi, he seemed confused. Anxious even. It was the first time they were speaking to each other since the reveal of Kakashi's true identity.

Regardless of his disquiet, Kakashi knelt so he was eye-level with Itachi and balanced on his haunches. He set the lantern down beside them. In the dim lighting he could see the dark brown of Itachi's pupils that had once been a milky white and could tell Itachi was staring right at him. His cheeks were flushed with fever.

To Kakashi's surprise, it was Itachi who broke the silence first.

"I did not expect you to come visit, Kakashi-san," he intoned.

Kakashi snorted lightly at the honorific. "That makes two of us, Itachi. After what you did to me the last time we met, I never thought I would be standing this close to you without a sword up against your neck."

Itachi stared at him and it unnerved Kakashi to be staring back at the same expressionless face he had come to know of his once-partner. The same face he had seen evolving over time until it culminated in a complete disregard for humanity and the murder of his entire clan. He sat on the floor in front of Itachi and rested one arm on each knee.

Itachi struggled to sit upright and rest his back against the concrete wall. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Don't flatter yourself, I didn't come here willingly. Someone thought it would be nice to have a little reunion. They put a little too much confidence in my information extraction abilities, I must say. I'm rather out of practice."

Several moments passed by without a single word exchanged. Kakashi sighed and hung his head. He let out a quick bite of laughter. The joke was on Tsunade. The woman probably never realized the best thing about his partnership with Itachi all those years ago had been that they both enjoyed complete silence. Days could pass between the two without so much as a sentence and they would both be at peace. It was what had made Itachi tolerable in Kakashi's darkest moments.

It was what had made them _formidable_.

He looked up to see the confusion hidden in Itachi's face. It was about as much emotion as Kakashi would be able to decipher, he knew. Something inside of him urged to laugh again at the ridiculousness of the scenario.

"Never in my life would I have thought we'd reach here, Itachi," he finally said. "I would've never believed I'd be talking to you from the inside of a cell like this. What happened to you? Your future was so promising. What made you decide to wipe out your entire clan?"

"For power," came Itachi's automatic response, low and hoarse. "To test my limits."

"Bullshit."

Itachi locked eyes with Kakashi. "What answer are you looking for?" he bit out. "Trying to find hidden meaning in the blood on my hands? Was the act I played in your home too convincing? I _killed_ them. I killed them all. And I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Kakashi challenged his stare. "Except Sasuke."

Itachi scoffed. "Except my weakling of a brother out of sheer pity. Clearly a grave mistake."

They lapsed into silence once more, their burst of emotion gone as quickly as it had come. Itachi dropped his eyes and Kakashi's lips tightened into a thin line. He could feel his emotions raging inside of him and struggled to keep them at bay.

"That weakling," he hissed, "was one of my three greatest students."

Itachi's eyes returned to his in pure defiance, thought Kakashi. The Uchiha wanted to prove he would not be moved by wanton stories of his brother. Unfazed, Kakashi continued.

"When he was assigned to my team, I was waiting for him to fail the very first test. The key to passing was teamwork." He breathed out steadily to remove the anger from his voice. "He was an Uchiha, after all, there was no way he would pass. Imagine my surprise when he did, and with flying colors at that. I thought there was hope. I thought the damage you had done could be reversed. He was actually starting to care about his teammates. He even sacrificed himself to protect Naruto once. I'm not sure you can imagine the amount of love you must have for someone else to sacrifice your life for them."

Itachi's eyes remained unwavering.

And still, Kakashi continued. "He was stubborn but he was Team 7. Now, enter Uchiha Itachi. It was like years of progress had come undone at the very sight of you. He grew obsessed with power and revenge and every single bond he'd made, he tried to sever. Until finally he left behind all of Konoha and everyone in it at the first promise of power elsewhere."

A cough wracked Itachi's chest and he finally broke his gaze in favor of spitting blood onto the floor, but he immediately returned his eyes to Kakashi's and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair and tried to release the tension in his shoulders; his neck was beginning to ache and his throat was protesting. He was speaking more words than he and Itachi had ever exchanged.

"You've been blessed, Uchiha Itachi," he murmured. "For meeting Naruto when you were dying. For stumbling into the welcoming arms of my team. You're lucky Sakura is so nurturing and Naruto is so pure, because if it had been anyone else, you'd be dead. I know they've touched something in your soul because that's the kind of people they are. But you already know that, don't you?"

Finally, _finally,_ Itachi lowered his eyes to the floor. He could no longer meet Kakashi's gaze. Kakashi took it as a sign of victory and viciously plowed on.

"Sasuke was blessed too, so you must have some ungodly power over him to have him willingly turn away from those bonds. But if there's anyone who knows the importance of bonds, it's Naruto, and he has a way in making other people believe in them. I failed Sasuke. I couldn't convince him of the meaning of friendship, but Naruto is out there still trying. That boy is something else, I'm sure you realize. He sees the good in you, too, and won't stop until everyone sees it. Remember the Uchiha Itachi I once knew, he keeps saying. Remember my old partner. Remember the trust I put in someone I considered a friend."

Kakashi had to stop then. He noticed the tremors in his hand and curled them into fists in the pockets of his pants to hide them. Not that Itachi was looking, he realized; the Uchiha refused to lift his gaze from the floor. It was several moments before Kakashi continued. A distant _clickclickclick_ of shoes echoed in the distance. His voice softened to barely above a whisper.

"But all Naruto reminded me of was how I had failed to instill in Sasuke exactly what I'd failed to instill in you first."

He felt Tsunade's gaze on his back and knew his time was coming to an end. Kakashi turned around momentarily from where he sat to acknowledge her return. Her honey eyes silently asked, _Were you successful?_ When he shook his head in response, she closed her eyes and sighed, then jerked her head towards the door in a wordless bid to leave. Kakashi nodded in understanding.

In a split second's movement, he slapped a hand over Itachi's mouth and slammed his head against the concrete.

"Hatake!" cried Tsunade and instinctively jerked towards him in protest. She took in the angry draw of Kakashi's eyebrows and the snarl beneath his mask and hesitated. A part of her understood she was watching a scene that had been years in the making.

Kakashi kept his palm against Itachi's mouth and dug his fingers painfully into the Uchiha's hollowed cheeks as he leaned in closer. He whispered ominously against Itachi's ear:

"So I'll remind you one last time. Those who break the rules are scum."

He knew that even Tsunade would hear in the thick silence that blanketed the room. The widening of Itachi's eyes exposed his surprise at the completely sudden, uncharacteristic violence until he felt something cold and foreign pushing against his lips. He opened his mouth to let in whatever it was that Kakashi held in the center of his palm.

With one final push of Itachi's head against the concrete, Kakashi removed his hand and looked down at the dazed Uchiha. Itachi looked up to meet his eyes and they locked gazes for an instant. With all the bitterness he could muster into his voice, Kakashi finished,

"But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

The older man's expression relaxed despite the tone of his voice. He kept his eyes locked on Itachi's. They shared an unwavering glance until Kakashi felt Tsunade's sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"We should go," she told him softly.

The silver-haired Jounin gave one last, hard look at the Uchiha and turned to leave.

Once again, Itachi was alone.

* * *

Itachi counted several minutes off in his head.

He rolled the object in his mouth around one last time and took in several deep breaths. Trying to summon any amount of chakra while wearing the shackles would knock him out cold for days. He would just need a minor spark, though. If he failed, he would be executed anyway. A few days unconscious was a minor repercussion to his success.

Itachi bent forward and spat his long-lost Akatsuki ring out of his mouth and into his open hand.

With one final breath to brace himself, he focused his chakra into the symbol at its center with the intention of making it glow. The gathering of chakra triggered the shackles at his wrists and ankles instantaneously. His consciousness winked from existence.

Itachi fell against the concrete wall in a mess of limbs. His hands now limp, the ring fell to the floor with a soft tinkle and rolled to a stop an arm's length away. The kanji symbol at its center glowed weakly in the darkness, then slowly, slowly, it faded to black.

The air began to split.

It rippled in half at first, shimmering into a blur. It split again and began to swirl. Round and round the air spun until a pop of orange appeared at the center of the vortex. The orange dot grew larger and larger as the air broke away around it until it revealed a mask, then a shock of black hair, and finally a body draped in a black and red cloak.

The figure stood still for several moments, examining the room. It stooped to pick up the ring that had fallen just by Itachi's hands and stared at it curiously. Curiosity satisfied, it moved so that it loomed over the motionless body of Uchiha Itachi.

"My, my," a low baritone floated out from behind the swirling mask. "Of all places to find you, Itachi, the cells of Konoha is the last place I'd expect."


	13. Of Regrets and Resolutions

**Feb 8 Edit:** Fixed text issues and typos that took away from the ending.

 **A/N:** Hi. Merry Christmas! My gift to all of you is the end of this story.

What a wild ride it's been. I've thought for weeks about how to finish this story and where I wanted to leave it off. I think I'm finally somewhat satisfied with its ending. It was really difficult for me to capture the emotions just right; I hope I've done the characters justice. **This story isn't about anyone else except the relationship between Naruto and Itachi** , so i thought the ending would be a fitting end to Itachi's relationship. It's about his journey and his purpose in life, and the effect he has on the people around him.

As always, a big thank you to my readers, and to my reviewers **amaterasu098** , **Redfoxshadow** , **your kidney 4lunch '3** , **chidoripotato** , and **kayna96.** Thank you to everyone who stuck along for the ride.

I would be eternally grateful if you could let me know what you thought about the overall story. It ties everything neatly together so there's a lot of talking and explanations.

Happy Holidays! Talk no Jutsu, commence!

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

… **:::Of Regrets and Resolutions:::…**

* * *

"Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you." — Shannon L. Alder

* * *

Chaos.

The instant Obito's unfamiliar chakra flared within Itachi's cell, the entire prison seemed to erupt in chaos. ANBU all over the prison simultaneously jerked into action to investigate the sudden menacing burst of chakra. Shouts of orders and calls for backup raised alarm in a deafening uproar that jumbled with the drumming of footsteps.

Several floors above, Tsunade's head jolted towards the direction of her office door, her eyes wide in terror. Kakashi met her gaze. They shared a fleeting glance of urgency before they rushed through the door and down the spiraled staircase, leaving strewn papers flying in their wake.

Down below, the ANBU guarding Uchiha Itachi's cell wrenched open its iron door. They met the swirl of Obito's orange mask peering at them from the darkness. The man had Itachi's motionless body slung over one shoulder and secured with a single arm. His other hand waved a lazy hello at the ANBU staring into the room.

"Intruder! Identify yourself!" one of the ANBU barked at him with his sword brandished threateningly. He was flanked by at least a dozen other ANBU. In the distance, the din of incoherent yelling echoed off the concrete walls.

Obito shifted Itachi's weight over his shoulder. His voice grew higher in a false pitch. "Ah! Itachi and I were just playing a game of hide and seek, you see. And I won! I won! So that means . . ."

He leaned forward. His voice dropped several octaves, transforming into an ominous growl to say:

"Tag. You're it."

He threw one hand out in front of him and immediately a shockwave hurled every standing ANBU backwards. Those at the center burst through the concrete wall across the cell and lay unmoving beneath its rubble. Tsunade and Kakashi screeched to a halt in front of the open cell door seconds later, maneuvering carefully around the bodies that littered the hallway. They stared into the dark confines of Itachi's cell and at the man in the black and red coat with the orange mask.

The air split.

It swirled and spun before Tsunade even had time to shout. The orange mask began to distort. Kakashi launched a kunai directly at the eyehole of the mask. It sailed right through. The resulting clatter of the metal against the concrete echoed lamely in the darkness. Obito turned his head towards Kakashi to lock eyes with him.

Kakashi's eyes widened in horror. Tsunade gasped.

The Sharingan stared back at them. With a hushed _pop_ , the orange mask winked from existence, taking Itachi with it.

* * *

 _One Week Later_

"Ahh! Delicious! Thank you, Teuchi-san!"

Naruto leaned back on his stool with his hands to his stomach, the satisfying warmth of ramen leaving a delicate blush on his cheeks. From beside him, Shikamaru shook his head with a small smile. On his other side, Chouji slurped up the last of his own ramen and clapped his hands together in thanks.

"It's been a while since I've seen your face in my shop, Naruto," said Teuchi, leaning one elbow over the counter.

At that, Shikamaru smirked. He gave Naruto a sideways glance. "Rumor has it he's been locked up for stirring trouble. Still won't share any details about why he's disappeared for weeks."

"Old Lady Tsunade would kick my ass all the way to Suna if I said anything," Naruto rubbed at the back of his head. "Confidential, top secret business! But I finally get to stretch my legs again and yours is the first place I came to, Teuchi-san."

Teuchi laughed. "Thinking you can bribe me with flattery?"

Naruto waggled his eyebrows at him. "Did it work?"

"Of course it did. Ramen on the house, boys!"

A new presence went unnoticed in their subsequent celebration. Kakashi used one hand to part the flags that decorated the ramen stall, then poked his head through. When he caught sight of Naruto pumping his fists into the air, he stepped inside. Teuchi was the first to notice him and welcomed him with a warm smile.

"Kakashi-san! Come for a bowl?"

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji spun on their stools at his words, each with a different expression of greeting. Kakashi nodded his head in their general direction but his eyes lingered on his student. It was the first time he had seen Naruto in a week. He noted how much healthier the blond looked, how his face filled out slightly and his complexion was less sickly. Even his hair was beginning to become the unruly shag it once was.

It was nice to see him smiling, he thought.

"Not today, Teuchi. I came to steal Naruto away, if you don't mind. I know he can be quite popular." He rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'll have to come back for a bowl soon."

Shikamaru waved one lazy hand with a teasing smile. "We can only take his company in quick bursts anyway. After that, it starts to grate on your nerves. Meet you later tonight, yeah?"

Naruto grinned back at him despite the jab. "Wouldn't miss it."

He allowed Kakashi to lead him away, a direction he soon realized was the man's own apartment. From a distance, he could spot a head of pink hair waiting at the door. Sakura waved enthusiastically from where she stood. Naruto returned her wave with the same eagerness. He had missed her.

The week following Itachi's disappearance had been absolute torture.

The mysterious masked man had come in and stolen Itachi away. Several ANBU had been whisked to the hospital in the aftermath – with, miraculously, no casualties but several near death – and the best search troops had been deployed to find any trace of where they had gone. Because Tsunade had been with Kakashi at the time of the break-in and because there had been over a dozen ANBU witnesses to the scene, the only suspect to the crime was the masked man with the Sharingan. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were cleared almost immediately.

That did not, however, stop the Council from placing them under house arrest for the subsequent week.

Their reasoning had been that they needed to confirm they had zero connections to Akatsuki. After all, how had the masked man known where Itachi was? How had he known exactly what cell to materialize into? The trio would need to be watched until the ANBU squads returned from their search. And so, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were confined to their respective homes day in and day out for seven days, not allowed to set foot outside, each stuck in their heads to mull over their decisions and what had happened.

Naruto had almost cried.

He wasn't sure if it had been out of sheer relief, sadness, or frustration. He had found, sitting in bed and staring up at his chipping ceiling, that a part of him sincerely missed the older Uchiha's company. He hadn't had the chance to say goodbye. On the other hand, Itachi was free. Naruto had kept his promise – even if he hadn't been the one to actually help Itachi escape.

Was he safe with the masked man? Was he an ally of Itachi's, or an enemy? The thoughts ate away at Naruto in the stillness of his house for days.

Eventually over the week, he made his peace with the Uchiha's disappearance. He had been glad to have Itachi come into his life but was nevertheless frustrated with the questions that left with him. It was time to focus on the other Uchiha he'd given a piece of his soul to. It had been months since he had last seen Sasuke.

Sakura had long since made her peace with Uchiha Itachi. The day of his disappearance, she had allowed a few tears to escape her eyes as she sat on her bedroom floor. Tears of relief. Tears of confusion. Tears of sadness. She found that Itachi had taken up a tiny corner of her heart where it muddled with Sasuke's and without him to heal or worry about or wage an internal war for, her days felt oddly empty.

Kakashi had slept well for the first time in weeks.

One week later, the squads returned with absolutely no leads. The masked man and Itachi had seemed to literally wink from existence. The Council and Tsunade concluded that attempting to break the seal on Itachi's mind had triggered a homing beacon, explaining why the masked man had shown up only after their final interrogation. Kakashi, they said, was lucky to have left Itachi's cell when he did. The mysterious man's chakra had been off the radar in terms of power, and Konoha had a new S-ranked target to fill out a page for in the Bingo Book. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were set free.

Naruto had immediately gone to search for his teammates but only managed to find Sakura; Kakashi, they later learned, was kept busy at the Hokage Tower.

Now, the three of them were finally reunited, seated around Kakashi's living room table with steaming cups of tea. Kakashi's house felt oddly still, thought Naruto, as if time did not pass so long as they were within its walls. The scrolls that had once littered around the guest room door had disappeared. It was open to reveal the neatly made bed Itachi had once slept in. Naruto couldn't help the sad smile as the memories washed over him; he exchanged one with Sakura from over the rim of her teacup. His eyes caught a curious new addition to Kakashi's house, however: a new seal painted over the back of the front door.

Kakashi set down a bowl of assorted biscuits and sunk into an armchair across his two pupils. "I know my house is probably the last place we all want to be now that we get to stretch our legs a bit," he drawled with a flick of his wrist.

Sakura giggled. "I don't mind anywhere as long as it's not my bedroom. I've memorized how many wooden planks there are in my floor."

"Besides!" Naruto patted the couch fondly. "This place feels just like home."

Kakashi tried not to give away how moved he felt by Naruto's words. He shifted in his seat and crossed one leg over the other, then reached one hand into his pocket and threw something at the whiskered boy. It glinted briefly in the sunlight filtering in from the kitchen window.

Naruto instinctively caught whatever it was before it hit his face. He gasped.

It was his Konoha headband.

The chaos following his kidnapping had made him forget about his headband entirely. No one had reminded him either, what with their attention shifted to his new hairstyle instead. He cradled the headband to his chest and fixed his sensei with a wide-eyed expression.

"But . . . how . . .?" he could barely get out.

Kakashi smiled back at him. "Tsunade has made the decision to declassify the mission reports I've been gathering. She's given me the duty of briefing you about what exactly happened."

Sakura looked at him curiously, having already put the pieces together. "You were on missions to find where Naruto's been, weren't you? That's why you got injured just like Itachi. That's how you found his headband." She met Kakashi's genuinely affectionate smile at her words and blushed at the pride glowing in his visible eye.

"I retrieved Itachi's headband, too, but that's filed away in evidence. In fact, I found quite a bit that he left behind, and a backpack of yours." Kakashi looked to Naruto; the boy sat forward eagerly, drinking in every word. Finally his questions were being answered. "You were the unexpected experiment of Yakushi Kabuto."

He let the words sink in. He could see the cogs turning in the minds of his students as they worked to remember where they had heard the name before. When the realization flickered in their eyes, he offered to continue. He asked them to set their tea down, knowing what he said next would disturb them.

"Kabuto's been notorious in the underground for body modifications, and there have been rumors flying around recently that Sasuke killed Orochimaru –"

"He _what_?!" Naruto immediately blurted, right on cue. Kakashi was glad he had asked him to put his tea down. The blond shot up off of the couch as Sakura gasped. "They've got to be false rumors! Otherwise that bastard would've come straight back to Konoha, right?"

Kakashi winced. "The rumors are unconfirmed for now. We're still waiting for Jiraiya's sources to report back on a lead, and the three of us are set to meet with him in three days' time. Sit down, Naruto, let me get to the important bits. Your kidnapping only fueled the rumors."

Naruto settled back into the couch but his mouth was set in a scowl and his fists were clenched. Sakura put a hand on his to comfort him, her own heartbeat racing. Unfazed, having expected the reactions, Kakashi continued.

"If the rumors are true, we have reason to believe Kabuto may have merged his body with Orochimaru's. The place you were imprisoned is one of Orochimaru's old hideouts that Kabuto has been using for his most recent experiments. Ever since Sasuke left, we'd been constantly searching for intel on those hideouts, so when you came back with Itachi, I went out to investigate where you'd come from."

"And you found it," Naruto supplied. "You found where he kept me."

Kakashi nodded. "After I was injured, Tsunade sent ANBU in for a formal investigation based on the data I'd gathered in my mission reports. The hideout had clearly been abandoned in a hurry, so there was plenty left behind."

"But Kakashi-sensei, what do you mean by 'unexpected experiment'? I don't remember ever seeing Kabuto."

"Ah," Kakashi said, leaning forward to pick up his tea, "that's where it gets interesting. Kabuto and Orochimaru have gathered a lot of information on the capabilities of the Sharingan thanks to Sasuke, but not enough to turn into anything useful for replication. According to what we found at the hideout, Kabuto had been setting it up purely for Sharingan experimentation. He used his previous connections with Akatsuki to get to Itachi. We think the rumors of Orochimaru's death are true because there are no traces of Sasuke near any of these experiments. If Kabuto had been studying the Sharingan, why not start with a willing participant?"

He paused, swirling his tea around absently. His two students were sitting on the edge of the couch, their own tea forgotten, their eyes fixated on him. He couldn't blame them. The story had been unfolding for quite some time. He sank further into the couch and continued.

"When you stumbled along during your mission, Kabuto probably thought you were easy access to a Tailed Beast. There were documents detailing your seal and chakra levels but in different handwriting, dated over the course of a week. Kabuto probably had others studying you while he personally saw to Itachi; his documents were dated a week before you started appearing on record and we collected quite a few corpses. You said your seal had been tampered with, right?"

Naruto nodded and shuddered, remembering his time at the hideout. He could feel the scalpel digging into his skin again, the cold of the metal table beneath him, the different pairs of eyes looking down into his from what he now realized had been Kabuto's assistants. He remembered the pain. He remembered the way he had mangled the guard in Kyuubi's desperation, the cell he had been confined to, and the way he had seen Itachi nearly on his deathbed.

One thing failed to make sense.

". . . Why would he blind Itachi, though? If he was after his Sharingan, why would he take away the one thing he wanted?"

Kakashi winked at him. "Nice catch. The notes we found vaguely mentioned it. Itachi almost escaped at one point. In true Itachi fashion, he'd caused so much destruction that Kabuto tried to incapacitate him by blinding him. He figured he could find his answers in the blood vessels and nerves connected to his chakra instead, so he assumed the eyes didn't actually have to be working."

Sakura winced, already knowing Kabuto had probably realized his mistake. "He didn't know you can't activate the Sharingan without a working retina. He destroyed his own experiment. I would've made the same mistake if I hadn't been involved in healing his eyes."

At that, Kakashi nodded his head. His tea sat untouched in his hands. "At best, he managed to document the optic nerves, but Itachi was rendered useless to him."

"So where is he now?" asked Naruto, trying to will the thoughts of the cells away.

Kakashi finally set his untouched cup of tea down. He shrugged slightly, settling back into the armchair. "He ambushed me out of desperation when I first came close to the hideout. I'm assuming he'd clearly failed to get his hands on Sasuke, and with Itachi's eyes officially useless, I'm the last source of Sharingan he could use. He tried to get me to explain how it had been transferred to me, but he was also weak. It was obvious his body was decaying. I barely escaped with the space-time jutsu. The hideout has been empty ever since, nothing moved or taken out of it. Kabuto is on the run somewhere, but my ties to the mission were terminated as soon as Itachi was discovered."

The three of them arrived at a contented silence. Sakura sipped the last of her tea, all questions answered, as Kakashi offered them homemade dumplings he had whipped up at the last second. They both looked towards Naruto, who seemed to be entirely consumed by his own thoughts. The blond felt their eyes on him and finally looked up, his eyebrows drawn.

"So Sasuke is out there somewhere? He's been out there for over a month and hasn't even thought about passing by?"

Kakashi shot him a sympathetic look. "We still have to meet with Jiraiya in three days for confirmation. There's still a lot we don't know, Naruto."

Still, the whiskered boy did not seem convinced. The scowl on his face morphed into a sudden grin and he turned to stare from Kakashi to Sakura. "Well when we find him, I'm going to kick his ass back all the way to Konoha. You guys just wait and see."

His contagious smile infected the other two and the tension from the air was lifted. Kakashi slapped his hands to his knees and stood up once more. "Well!" he announced cheerily. "What a ride this past month has been! I'm sure you two are just as sick as I am of seeing the inside of my apartment. Let's put this chapter behind us. We've got bigger fish to fry, don't we?"

He shooed Sakura and Naruto to the front door. His female pupil lingered at the doorstep momentarily before turning to hug him, catching him off guard. She looked up at him with glimmering green eyes and smiled.

"Thank you for everything, Kakashi-sensei."

"Group hug!"

Naruto launched himself at the two of them, wrapping his arms around them as best as he could. The force of his tackle threw them off balance and they stumbled slightly but regained their footing. Kakashi let out a laugh and tried to wiggle out of the impossible grip. His heart was melting. Team 7, almost complete. He lived for his students.

Sakura was the first to break from the hug, rushing away with one final wave for the hospital. Naruto watched Kakashi lock his door behind them and had been about to turn to go when Kakashi's voice stopped him.

"By the way," his sensei began casually, pocketing his key, "I wanted to thank you, Naruto."

Two sapphire eyes blinked curiously at him. "For?"

"For the talk we had before Itachi disappeared. You were right. There was a point in my life when I would have called Itachi a friend. I wanted to thank you for helping me remember."

Naruto positively beamed at his sensei and had been about to open his mouth when he noticed the odd gleam in Kakashi's visible eye. A mischievous gleam. A _knowing_ gleam. Something that told Naruto there was a hidden meaning to his words. His eyes widened instantly.

"Kakashi-sensei –?!"

His sensei disappeared in a theatrical puff of smoke, leaving Naruto to fill in his assumptions on his own.

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

Naruto raced determinedly through the trees, a permanent scowl set on his face. Kiba flashed before him on Akamaru's back then disappeared into the foliage to his right. It only made Naruto's scowl deepen and his teeth grind against each other as he remembered exactly why they were jumping through the trees.

Last week, the rumors had been confirmed. Uchiha Sasuke had killed Orochimaru.

Naruto was livid. He knew how deep Sasuke's need for vengeance ran. He would stop at nothing until Itachi was dead, evidently. And so he, Kakashi, and Sakura had joined forces with Team 8, Yamato, and Sai to hunt Sasuke – or Itachi – down. Their main target was Sasuke, but as Tsunade had pointed out, finding Itachi might also do the trick. Sasuke would undoubtedly be searching for his brother.

A part of Naruto hoped they would find Itachi, the sheer nostalgia pulling at his heart strings. He wanted to stop the inevitable. He wanted to find Sasuke and beat some sense into him, maybe even hold an intervention for the two brothers in some idealistic dream to figure out just what the hell was going on.

The other part was terrified of meeting the older Uchiha. He had only just recently come to terms with never crossing paths again. He had finally made peace with Itachi's fated departure.

Kiba appeared and disappeared once more, informing Naruto he would be investigating further to the right. With a nod, Naruto gravitated more to the left. He ducked under several branches and launched himself off of a nearby bough.

The chakra signature that suddenly flared into life out of the corner of his eye startled him so much that he stumbled momentarily, barely managing to land on his feet as he fell to the floor. Two eyes stared at him from the shadow of a nearby tree.

Sharingan.

Naruto inhaled sharply. Definitely not Sasuke's chakra.

"Itachi?"

The figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal the older Uchiha. Naruto barreled into him without a second thought. It was only until he heard a soft groan of pain did he take a few steps back, his grin morphed into a frown of concern, and finally drank in the sight of Uchiha Itachi.

He was definitely healthier, thought Naruto, but his face still looked impossibly gaunt. Far too pale, far too hollowed. The scar across his right eye had healed from a grisly scab to a white line of damaged tissue, similar to Kakashi's; that, and his drastically shortened hair – bare without his headband to hide behind – were the only visible reminders of the past. The billowing Akatsuki cloak did well to hide his thinned frame; with a new cloak and looking otherwise completely unharmed, Naruto understood the masked man who had stolen him away had clearly been an ally of Itachi's.

Itachi was smirking at him. The expression returned Naruto's smile and initial excitement to his face.

"You did say you would see me later, Uzumaki Naruto," his familiar baritone floated through the air.

"I didn't expect you to disappear when I had my back turned," replied Naruto. "What _happened?_ And you've got your Sharingan working? I've got to admit, it's pretty nice being able to look into them without worrying about being trapped in genjutsu."

Naruto's familiar waterfall of words only seemed to widen Itachi's smirk. His eyes faded to the dark brown Naruto had come to recognize. "If this is the reputation I have garnered, Naruto, I may have to do something to change it. I do not want others thinking I have grown soft."

Naruto laughed but broke it abruptly, his eyes shifting to the forest. Would someone pick up on Itachi's chakra signature? "We're looking for Sasuke right now. You, too, actually, but Sasuke is top priority. I hear he managed to kill –"

"Orochimaru," Itachi finished for him, the name bitterly spat out. "I am aware. In fact, I have come to speak with you. I have little time."

Naruto offered him a smile again. "We've got plenty of time, don't worry. We haven't picked up Sasuke's scent yet and you still haven't told me how you –"

"Naruto."

It was the way Itachi intoned his name that wiped the smile from Naruto's face. It was the way he stared at him with an intensity smoldering behind the dark brown irises. It was the way his expression turned grave and his lips thinned and Naruto knew – he just _knew –_ it would be the last time he saw Uchiha Itachi alive. He was only vaguely aware of the goose bumps that dotted his skin as he took a step back in disbelief.

"Itachi, no. We can change things. We can talk to Sasuke, you can explain what's going on, I'm sure there's a way around –"

"Naruto."

"No, don't you 'Naruto' me!"

His sapphire eyes pleaded silently with Itachi. There had to be another way. There had to be the _truth_ , whatever it was. Naruto needed to know. Sasuke needed to know. The blond balled his hands into fists at his side.

"After everything, Itachi, you're going to pretend like nothing happened?" He had to restrain himself from yelling in his anger. "You're going to die not having Sasuke know that you actually _care_ about him –?"

"Naruto!"

The anger immediately faded from Naruto at the tone of Itachi's voice. Suddenly he became all too aware of the way the Uchiha stood favoring one leg, of his hunched shoulders, of the dark circles beneath eyes too weakened and exhausted to keep the Sharingan activated. He was too aware of Itachi staring with an expression begging him to stay silent, his eyebrows furrowed upwards. If anything, thought Naruto, Itachi looked like he wanted to _cry_.

Disbelief stole his words away. Never had he seen such stark emotion wrinkling the lines of Itachi's face.

"Please," whispered Itachi in the odd stillness of the forest, "there are things you do not understand. Things are as they are, Naruto. Things are _as they should be_. As I _made_ them. I will see Sasuke again very soon. It is what I have wanted for a long, long time."

"He wants to _kill_ you, Itachi."

Itachi smiled.

Naruto felt his knees grow weak. The smile was pained. It was heartbreaking. It was anything but what a smile should be. He felt stunned, rooted to the same spot on the forest floor with no breath left in his lungs. Itachi closed the space between them. From the proximity, Naruto could smell the unmistakable tang of blood but the Akatsuki cloak hid any wounds.

"And do I not deserve death, Naruto?" Itachi said, almost pleasantly. "For the things I have done? Death by the hands of the little brother I spared seems oddly fitting, does it not? There can be no other way."

"You're _wrong!_ There are other ways. You always have a choice, Itachi. Remember?"

Itachi remembered. He only smiled further at the sense of déjà vu. Naruto could not help the slight tremble of his body at the surrealism. He could not tear his eyes away from Itachi's, which were reddening dangerously but not from the Sharingan.

"You are right," the Uchiha murmured, his voice strained, "I always had a choice. I spent years convincing myself I made the right one. It was not until I met you that I was finally forced to face the consequences of my decisions and come to the conclusion that I had made a grave mistake."

Naruto's heart raced.

"I failed, Naruto."

The blond could barely keep himself standing.

"I thought I did what was right. Ultimately my goal was met, but at what cost? At whose life? For how long? I could have had a completely different future. Perhaps we could have even been friends, Uzumaki Naruto. Alas, things are as they are. All I have to look forward to is death."

Naruto looked on in horror. Itachi was still smiling, his eyes closed from the upturn of his lips. Naruto finally realized the scent of blood was coming from Itachi's lips, a wound deep within his mouth. His sickness. Whatever it was that was eating away at him from the inside.

"I failed," Itachi repeated, his voice then barely above a whisper. "But you, Naruto? You can undo the damage I have done with the one consequence I have left to repair. I can only help point Sasuke in the right direction, but you are capable of leading him. You have proven yourself a true friend. A true brother. When the time comes, I will trust you to take care of that which I value most."

Itachi made a move to reach up to Naruto but the blond suddenly slapped his hands away. The sound echoed in the expanse of the forest, unnaturally loud in the silence. Naruto was still trembling. He took advantage of Itachi's momentary surprise and the words finally swelled in his throat.

"Whatever you did," he began gently, "you did it for a reason. Whatever choice you made, you wanted it at that point in time. It's been _years_ since you made that choice. You couldn't have predicted the future. Things didn't turn out the way you wanted them and that's too bad, Itachi. Maybe you could've done better. Maybe there were other choices. There are also things you can do now, from this moment, to fix your mistakes. But don't you _ever,_ ever regret that decision you made all those years ago. I trust you." He offered a small, sincere smile, trying to cut through the tension. "I trust that you really wanted to do the right thing, whatever it was. I know you wanted it. I'm sorry things turned out the way they did, but your decisions brought you here. They brought us together two months ago and they brought us together right this moment, and if you regret that then I'm going to have to kill you myself."

Something changed in Itachi's expression but Naruto forced himself to plow on, his words a mile a minute, before his throat closed up. His own voice had begun to break but he exhaled slowly to compose himself. He grinned.

"Don't you worry about Sasuke. I'm looking for him right now. I'm going to kick his ass all the way back to Konoha and not let go. I'm going to take away a little bit of that darkness in his heart. And I trust that when you see Sasuke again, you're going to do what you think is right. Regretting the outcome of your choice won't change anything. The decisions you make from here on out are the ones that matter."

Naruto let his words trail off upon seeing Itachi begin to move again. The Uchiha leaned in even closer and took Naruto's face gently in his hands. Despite his sickly complexion, his presence was still incredibly intimidating from where he stood a few inches taller than Naruto. One of his hands was bandaged, the other far too cold against his skin to be natural.

Two big, fat tears plopped on each of Naruto's whiskered cheeks.

Naruto froze in shock. Itachi smiled down at him.

"How blessed I have been to have met you, Uzumaki Naruto. And Sakura, to whom I owe my sight. And Kakashi, to whom I owe my life. How blessed my brother is to have you as his family, and how foolish he is to have given you up."

"Itachi, please," Naruto tried to beg one last time, one last act of desperation to stop the inevitable. He could feel his own tears threaten to spill over but the rest of his words would not come.

Itachi's hands fell away from Naruto's face and he took a step back. One of his hands clasped the edge of his cloak. Two more fresh tears rolled down his face, crossing the paths of old ones, weaving around his smile. He blinked slowly and it was only then that Naruto realized it was too late.

He had been trapped in Itachi's genjutsu from the first moment they had locked eyes.

The Sharingan spun wildly as Itachi unclasped his cloak to reveal a cawing murder of crows. Naruto instinctively raised his arms up to shield his face from the beating wings but one crow weaseled its way under his chin and into his mouth. His eyes widened in alarm. Despite the crow being an illusion, the pain was unimaginable.

Naruto collapsed to his knees, wheezing heavily. He looked up at Itachi. The tears had stopped, but the smile was still there.

"I have given you some of my power," he said. "It is the least I can do, but I trust you will not need it."

"Itachi, wait –!"

"Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto."

The illusion broke. The world shifted. The crows disappeared. When Naruto came to, he was on his back in a forest clearing. There were fresh tears on his cheeks. Itachi was nowhere in sight.

Later, 'Tobi' would confront the 8-man search team and Zetsu would appear to announce Itachi had died at the hands of Sasuke.

Later still, Naruto would wait hours until they set up camp before he would allow a sob to rip from his throat in the privacy of his tent.

* * *

Days passed.

The 8-man search team had reached the site of Sasuke and Itachi's great battle but left empty-handed. They lost all traces of Sasuke. Kakashi had been forced to call off the mission and so they spent days retreating back to Konoha. He constantly watched Naruto from the corner of his eye as they bounded their way through the trees.

The whiskered boy was oddly silent.

He was clearly depressed, thought Kakashi. Clearly upset. The sunny sparkle had disappeared from his eyes and he had accepted the cancellation of the mission far too easily. Sakura hovered by him, worried at Naruto's unusual behavior. It was their third day coming back from their mission and Konoha would greet them soon. Itachi's death had affected all of them but it seemed to have sucked the life out of Naruto.

From the right, Hinata suddenly gasped.

On instinct, everyone immediately froze on the branches they had been about to launch off of. Seven pairs of eyes turned to her but it was too late, she realized. The chakra signature approaching them was too fast, too fast, too fast. It zigzagged through the trees at an alarming rate, familiar but chaotic. _Tainted_ , she thought and cowered slightly at the sheer overwhelming power. All she could do was turn to her side and shout a warning, "Naruto!"

Naruto disappeared before their eyes as something barreled into him.

The sound of a thousand birds trailed after him.

There was a loud, resounding _CRACK!_ Dust sprayed up from below the trees. Naruto reappeared several meters away with his back to the base of a tree trunk and Uchiha Sasuke holding him up against it by the collar of his shirt.

There was no time for surprise. Naruto lowered his hands from where he'd drawn them to block Sasuke's attack but the Chidori had never been intended to hit him. It splintered the tree beside his head. His sapphire eyes widened in split-second recognition and his lips opened to shout, but Sasuke immediately cut him off with a cry of his own.

"How the _fuck_ did you know my brother?!"

The world fell still.

No one dared to move. Naruto and Sasuke had taken center stage and everyone knew better than to interrupt their show from their front-row seats above. The dust cleared around them from where Sasuke had come charging in. Naruto's eyebrows shot up at the expression on Sasuke's face.

He was crying.

Trails of tears leaked from Sasuke's wide eyes and dropped from his chin to soak into his shirt. He looked tired, thought Naruto. Very tired, with dark shadows and foreign lines beneath his eyes. The Uchiha gave Naruto another shove against the tree but the energy seemed to have been leeched out of him.

" _Answer me!_ " he screamed inches away from Naruto's face, his voice breaking.

Naruto felt his own throat closing, tears swimming into his vision. "Sasuke, please, just –"

"How?! _How?!"_

Sasuke's grip on his collar relaxed, then released. He let out a strangled yell of pure agony that ripped through the silence of the forest. It echoed, echoed, echoed until it left him empty. He dropped his head into one hand as the other clutched at his heart and he sank weakly to the floor. Naruto noticed the Akatsuki cloak he wore for the first time – whether his own or Itachi's, he would never know. Despite it, he could see the way Sasuke's shoulders shook in a desperate attempt to collect himself but it was clearly no use; Sasuke's chakra was wild and raging, his rationality too far gone, his eyes blind to everyone except the blond who should have had all the answers he needed.

Naruto looked around helplessly and caught Sakura's shocked gaze from above, then Kakashi's. The silver-haired man stared firmly at him and gave him a slight nod of the head, as if understanding and encouraging him to continue. With an unsteady hand against the ground, Naruto knelt on his haunches before Sasuke.

"Sasuke, I –"

"He told me to _look for you!_ "

Sasuke's head jolted from his hand and pinned Naruto with a fierce gaze, his Sharingan spinning wildly. Naruto stared back unfalteringly. If Sasuke was trying to intimidate him, it failed. The three black tomoe barely had time to morph before the Sharingan faded entirely, chakra exhausted.

"He said he _trusted_ you!" continued Sasuke, but that time his voice broke. His face crumpled pitifully. Naruto's tears had been at bay, memories of Itachi swimming through his mind, but it was Sasuke's next words that had them flowing freely:

"He said you could help me."

It was in that moment that Naruto finally understood what Itachi had been trying to tell him all along.

 _I failed. But you, Naruto? You can undo the damage I have done with the one consequence I have left to repair. I can only help point Sasuke in the right direction, but you are capable of leading him. You have proven yourself a true friend. A true brother. When the time comes, I will trust you to take care of that which I value most._

Sasuke.

Even in his death, Itachi would make sure Sasuke was protected.

Naruto stared at his comrade, his best friend, his brother. Every hair along his body stood on end from the electricity of Sasuke's feral, chaotic chakra. He put one hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The Uchiha flinched violently but did not jerk away, and it was in that moment that Naruto knew things would be different that time.

Sasuke turned to stare at him once more. "There were so many secrets," he rasped, all the anger and venom in his voice gone. He sounded defeated. Tired. "What were you to him?"

Naruto smiled back. Softly. Sadly.

"A friend."

He could feel Sasuke's chakra ebbing away slowly, becoming less wild and more restrained. He kept his smile as the memory of helping Itachi floated idly through his mind. The younger Uchiha did not protest when Naruto gripped his shoulder tighter and helped him up.

It was a good sign, thought Naruto.

It was a good start.

 _End._


End file.
